Cursed
by Ms. Perception
Summary: AU. It was just a stupid dare. Spend an hour inside Crawford Manor. But Crawford Manor is no ordinary house, and Spike Giles is no ordinary teen. The Mouth to Hell is about to open, and its up to Spike and his friends to figure it out before its too late.
1. So It Begins

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde wannabe bad boy, William Giles.

**Author's Notes:** Hello, everyone. I'm back with a new story. I'm taking a break from 'A Different World' for awhile, as I've lost all inspiration for that story. I hope that people will enjoy this one as it will be much shorter than that. And will most definitely have an ending. This story includes a lot of Riley and Darla bashing, even though I do like Darla. This is also very loosely inspired by me watching 'Rose Red' one too many times.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them. Never have and never will. No matter how hard I try.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

Chapter One: So It Begins…

"I still think this is a stupid idea."

Xander Harris glanced over at his companion who had thus far remained immune to his persistent grumbling. The only indication Xander even had that he was being heard was the tense jaw and increasing twitch in the other teen's eye. He sighed as his friend continued to work on opening the lock.

"Those things are there for a reason, you know? It's to keep people like us from getting in," he tried again. Once more, his logic and pleading fell on deaf ears. He had to give his best friend credit though. When William 'Spike' Giles said he was going to do something, he went through with it. No matter how stupid and utterly wrong the whole idea was.

And nothing could be more stupid and wrong than breaking into Sunnydale's very own haunted mansion. Every year the house attracted thrill seekers, ghost chasers, fraternities and all manner of idiotic teenagers looking to prove their manhood. Spending just an hour in the house was considered the ultimate test of courage. Just one hour, and a person was considered to be one of the best, bravest and toughest.

And this is where Xander's problem started. Of all the qualities Xander hated about his best friend, his bull headed determination to prove that he was someone was definitely high on that list. Spike was one of a kind in a small town like Sunnydale. He was one of the only, okay, he was the only person who could steadily pull off his ripped from the 80s bleached blonde hair and not be mocked mercilessly. However, underneath all that bravado and swagger, Xander knew there was a vulnerable, sensitive soul that longed for acceptance and approval.

"Whelp, if you don't stop your griping, I'm going to shove this flashlight down your throat!"

Yeah, real sensitive bleeding heart that Spike. Used to threats like that, however, Xander only crossed his arms over his chest glared at the platinum blonde. "I'll stop my griping when you stop this insane idea of going into that house."

"Oh come, Harris. Not you too. You don't really believe the stories are true, do you?"

"I believe that people have died in this house," Xander countered. "Even you in your great cynicism can't change that. Every year some stupid group of people sneak into this place just to show off and every year Sunnydale's finest have to clean up the bodies. And those are just the ones they find. There are still the ones that just go missing."

Spike sighed heavily, finally turning away from his unsuccessful attempts at picking the lock to look at Xander. "Are you going to let rumors and ghost stories scare you away? We're about to prove our manhood here. Are you going to back down now and show them that you're the whelp they think you are? Or are you going to grow a pair and come in with me?"

Xander's glare intensified. "I fail to see what going into that house has to do with me 'growing a pair'. I just want you to think this through, Spike."

"Already have, Xander. Look if you don't want to go in that's fine. I only asked you because you're my best mate. I still don't know that many people in town and I figured this would be a good bonding experience."

Xander scoffed. "One, you've been in town almost half a year now and most of the female population is in love with you, not to mention some of the guys too. Two, I was not the first person you asked. I was just the one stupid enough to say yes, but that was because I didn't think you were actually going to go through with this mess. And three," he pushed Spike over and grabbed the lock. "You're doing this all wrong. Turn more with your wrist."

Spike grinned as the lock finally popped open. He arched an eyebrow and glanced over Xander. "So does this mean you're going in with me?"

"Don't look so happy," Xander retorted, failing to hold back a smile of his own. "I'm only going in because if I don't bring you home in one piece your father will probably kill me. Call me crazy but going up against a guy that used to be called Ripper just doesn't seem wise."

Spike didn't reply. The smile on his face spoke volumes to Xander of what the blonde was thinking. Despite having known each other barely six months, a bond had formed between the two boys that defied logic and rational explanation. This was just as well as most of the things they did defied rational explanation and was definitely devoid of any logic.

At the moment, Xander was pretty sure that Spike was contemplating whether or not this was worth it. Was potentially risking not only your life, but the life of your best friend, really worth it just to impress one girl? And he didn't need to look at him to know what Spike had decided.

"All this for some stupid girl," Xander groaned.

"She's not stupid," Spike protested. "She's just lacking many redeemable character qualities and is a bit on the pleasantly vacant shallow side."

"Exactly how is that any different than what I said?"

The grin grew impossibly wider. "All the big words could probably confuse her long enough for us to get away before she knew she was insulted." Xander couldn't help but laugh at that. His friend rolled his shoulders and sighed, staring up at the house with a pensive look on his face. "But it's not just her or even the rest of those Fang Gang losers. There is something about this place. It's been calling to me like bloody siren since I got here."

Xander's smile instantly melted into a frown. "Have you ever though about telling it to leave a message?" Spike just rolled his eyes. "Seriously though, you just said it's like a siren. You know how well that worked out in the Odyssey."

Again Spike raised that infuriating eyebrow coupled with a look of awed confusion. "I know how it worked out but how do you know? I thought you didn't pay attention in English."

"That was before Ms. Huffington took over."

"Very true."

The two teens continued to stand on the steps just outside the doors staring up at the imposing building. To say that the Garden House had seen its better days was a huge understatement. Despite its name, the house lacked any of the gardens that had once earned the Crawford Street House its beautiful name. The Gothic architecture it boasted made it the most unique house in the neighborhood. But its reputation as a haunted house kept the real estate agents from marketing the house. The last family to live in the house had also died in the house a decade ago. Ever since then the house had been boarded up and otherwise abandoned. And yet for some reason he and Spike were still standing there staring up at the dark forbidding windows actually preparing to go inside. _Go away. _

"What did you say?"

Spike gave him a blank look. "I didn't say anything."

"I really just thought you said go away."

"Why would I say that when I've finally convinced you to go in?"

"You suddenly developed some common sense?" Xander suggested, earning a dark glare in the process. "My mistake. You must have been busy dying your hair when they were handing out common sense and self preservation." Spike smacked him on the arm but said nothing more. His eyes were locked on the house. A frown pulled at the corners of Xander's mouth. He didn't like the look on Spike's face at the moment. It was almost as if he were in a trance.

_He belongs to us. Go away. He's belongs to us_.

"Okay seriously are you not hearing that?"

"Hearing what, whelp?"

"The really creepy whispering voice that keeps telling us to go away."

Spike sighed. "It's just your imagination playing tricks on you. There are no creepy voices. There is just you and me. There is no one else out here."

"So is this what you guys meant by spend an hour in the house? Because I'm pretty sure the steps don't count."

Both boys froze at the sound of the new voice behind him. This time Xander knew that his friend had heard it by the slight slump of his shoulders and eye roll. He shot Spike a look. "You were saying?"

"I've been known to be wrong occasionally."

"Occasionally he says," Xander muttered as the pair turned around to face the Fang Gang. No one was entirely sure how the group had managed to acquire their moniker, but there was no argument that it was it fit them well. Led by the deceptively named Angelus Liam O'Connor, the group had been a thorn in Xander's side since junior high. They saw him as an irritating geek, while he saw them as shallow, pathetic creatures that didn't deserve or warrant any of the attention that was lavished on them by the entire town.

However, it wasn't until they met a certain tough talking platinum blonde that the Fang Gang had finally met their match. From the minute the teen had arrived at Sunnydale he was a subject of appreciative stares and flirty smiles. He was a perfect candidate for the Fang Gang but in a surprising move he committed "social suicide" by choosing to hang out Xander and his motley crew of friends, the Scoobies thus making himself a constant target of ridicule by the Fang Gang. And of course, this was where things got even more complicated. Because then Spike made his second biggest social faux pax since his arrival at Sunnydale High. He fell in love, or at least in lust, with one Buffy Summers.

The petite blonde has turned more than a few heads during her two year run at Sunnydale High. However, spent the past year and a half as the trophy girlfriend of Angel. They were Sunnydale's Golden Couple. The star football player with the looks and brains to match and the gorgeous, charming head cheerleader. It was enough to make anyone slightly sick to the stomach. But Spike took one look at her and saw something more than just that. And Buffy knew that he saw it, and it didn't seem to make her too happy.

This would probably explain the look of victory in her hazel eyes as she and the rest of the group reached the steps the two Scoobies were standing on. Angel had his arm draped over Buffy's petite shoulders watching Spike and Xander with a curious, almost hesitant, look in his eye.

"You're not chickening out, are you Spike?" Riley Finn taunted with a slight grin on his face.

"Oh, its okay, you guys," Cordelia Chase added in a teasing tone. Her grin widening as she leaned against her boyfriend. "There's really no shame in being a coward. It was what we expected from you two anyway."

Spike growled under his breath and fixed the group with an icy glare. "I said I'd go in and I meant that I'll go in. Don't you losers have anything better to do?"

"Just making sure you don't wuss out on us, Spiky," Darla Mares retorted. Her lips curved in a smile and she cocked her head to the side. "Looks like we were just in time for the show, guys."

"This is boring," Buffy huffed, rolling her eyes in exaggerated boredom. "Obviously they're too scared to go in. Let's just go home."

Again the British import growled, but this time stepped forward approaching the group. Despite being inches shorter than both Riley and Angel, both found themselves stepping back from the blonde. Only Buffy stood her ground, glaring at him as he dared to approach them.

"You think I won't go in?"

She pursed her lips together. "I know it."

Spike leaned in closer until their lips were mere inches from hers. "Watch me." With that, he spun on his heels, stormed up the steps past Xander and into the house. A moment of tense silence passed as the group of teens all stood in shock. As Xander was about to follow his friend, the door slammed shut, seemingly on its own accord.

"The hell?" he mumbled. He pulled on the knob and found that it was once more locked. "Spike, open the door. The stupid thing is stuck or something."

There was no response. Fear started to prick at the edges of Xander's consciousness. Something wasn't right here. Why was Spike not responding? He should have been responding. Xander slammed one hand against the locked door while still pulling futilely with the other. "Spike, come on, open the damn door! This isn't funny."

"Is he okay in there?" Cordelia asked. Her earlier scornful tone now gone replaced by fear and something that sounded a lot like concern. "Maybe we should call for help or something."

Riley dismissed her concern with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "He's just being dramatic. I'm sure he's fine."

No sooner had the words left his mouth did a scream shred the night air startling them all. There was a heavy thud from inside the house followed by the sound of footsteps running. Xander turned around to see if he was the only one who had heard that. The wide eyed looks of terror on the others' faces let him know that he wasn't. If he wasn't so worried about his friend, he might have had a good laugh at the sight of the great Angelus shaking like a baby. But he was more concerned with what was going on with his still missing best friend.

"Okay, that was definitely not Spike," Buffy shook head, pointing at the house. "What the hell was that?"

"Who the hell cares?" Xander retorted. "Spike, open the door. Spike!" he kept pulling uselessly on the door. Finally he turned around once more to face the others who were still visibly shaken by what had just happened. "Are you all just going to stand there or are you going to help me?"

Angel was the first to shake off his shock. He was still faintly trembling as approached Xander. He pressed an ear to the door and listened closely. Beside him, Xander frowned and was about to ask just what the football player thought he was doing when Angel moved a little to the left. "The footsteps are moving this way. Come on," Angel said, speaking for the first time that night. Xander nodded his head in gratitude as the older boy led him along the side of the house following the sounds of the footsteps towards the courtyard.

They rounded the corner of the house that opened into the courtyard just in time to see something crash through one of the many windows of the mansion. The moonlight shed its light on the figure illuminating the too familiar hair. The pit of dread that had been building in his stomach tightened as Xander recognized the figure as Spike. He watched paralyzed by shock as his friend's body landed on the ground and rolled to a stop against a stone bench with a sickening thud.

"Oh my god."

He heard the horrified whispers behind him, but his brain wouldn't allow him to register anything other than the unmoving body of his friend. Never should have let him go in there alone, he mentally berated himself. Never should have let him go in there period. Xander moved on autopilot to Spike's side. He knelt beside his friend, turning him gently onto his back. He brushed the glass from his hair and frowned at the lack of response.

"Spike? Be okay, please. Spike?" Xander shook Spike's shoulder light and let out a sigh of relief as his friend moaned softly. "Spike, come on, you have to sit up." By the time everyone else reached the three teens, Xander had managed to get Spike to stay sitting up with the help of Angel.

"What the hell just happened?" Cordelia wondered aloud to no one in particular. She saw the shaken look on Spike's face and unconsciously put her hand on his leg offering silent comfort. Xander saw the move and smiled fleetingly. So Queen C was human after all, who knew? He filed that away in the mental rolodex of 'Other Interesting Things That Happened While My Best Friend Was Being Tortured by a House' and turned his attention back to his injured best friend.

"Spike, what happened in there? What did you see?" Angel asked him quietly. Xander arched an eyebrow at the concern that Angel was showing. There was something going on with him. Out of all of the Fang Gang he was the only one that didn't seem to be surprised by the night's events. Angel knew something, but at the moment none of that mattered. "Spike, what happened to you in there?

Spike turned his haunted gaze briefly towards the older boy and then to Xander. "It," he started before shuddering. Xander squeezed his shoulder and shifted closer to his friend. "It wants me back."

"What wants you back?" Buffy asked, hearing the hushed comment.

His pale blue eyes focused on something behind them that only he could see. The trembles in his body intensified prompting Xander to remove his hoodie and drape it around Spike's shoulders.

"Spike, what wants you back?"

"Hell," he whispered hoarsely. His eyes then rolled into the back of his head and Xander barely caught him as he slumped forward into his arms.

The brunette groaned and put a hand to his forehead. "Oh man, your dad is so going to kill me!"

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Let me know what you all think. Should I continue? Should I just take it down from the site and pretend like it never happened? Anyway let me know. 


	2. Gathering Storm

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And its all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you to everyone who replied. And if I haven't gotten back to you personally, don't worry I will. I'm just amazingly slow at things like that. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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"What do you mean you don't remember?"

Willow Rosenberg repeated her question as she stood staring in disbelief at the young man before her. Xander had just finished recanting the previous night's adventures for the benefit of those that who weren't woken up at two in the morning to pick up an unconscious Spike and rambling Xander. No sooner had he finished, did Willow ask the very same question that had been haunting him the whole morning. What happened while Spike was in that house? However, their friend was clearly not in a caring, sharing mood and had clammed immediately, focusing intensely on his locker combination.

Willow tapped her foot on the ground still waiting for an answer. Xander and the two remaining members of their little group of friends, Wesley Wyndham Pryce and Winifred Burkle watched waiting to see who would crack first in the Battle of the Wills. A tense silence hung over the quintet before Spike finally lifted his head to glance in the redhead's direction. He frowned at the sight of the resolve face. There was not a man alive that had gone up against the resolve face and won. Why start now?

"I don't remember, okay? All I really remember is the fang gang losers showing up and me going into the house," he raked a hand through his hair, wincing at the movements the action caused. "Next thing I know I'm crashing through a window and passing out in front of the girl I've had a bloody crush on since I got to this sodden school. So all in all I'd say last night was a disaster."

"Sounds like," Fred said, sympathetically rubbing his back. He grimaced as her hand brushed against a particularly sore spot. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Spike! Are you sure you should be in school today? You don't look so hot."

"I'm okay, love," he sighed. "Just feeling a bit sore. But I couldn't very well tell my dad what happened last night. It was bad enough telling Dad Jr. over here."

Wesley frowned. "See if I ever pick you up in the middle of the night because you're unconscious and Xander's babbling incoherently about not wanting to face the Ripper, again."

Spike blinked in his direction. "I wasn't really planning on making a habit out of that, Wes." The older boy did not seem amused, which of course helped to bring some of the light back to Spike's eyes. But just as suddenly as it had reappeared, the light dimmed and the frown on his face deepened. "But you know what the worst part of last night was?"

"Besides the apparent blank spots in your memory, power dive through a window and loss of consciousness, no idea."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Red," Spike hissed, earning a wink and a grin from his friend. That served to put a tiny smile on his face. Satisfied that she had at least accomplished that much, she leaned against her locker to better see his face.

"Okay, Will," she grinned wider. "What was the worst part of last night?"

"That I had to make an ass out of myself like that in front of the Fang Gang."

Almost as if they had heard their name, the group appeared behind the Scoobies suddenly. Spike groaned and slammed his head against the door of his locker. Wesley and Xander took a step forward blocking Spike from the newcomers for the most part. Wesley crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "What do you gits want?"

"We were just filling Dru here on how Spike freaked out last night," Riley laughed at the red flush that was slowly creeping up Spike's neck which was the only visible part of his skin at the moment. The missing member of the bane of Spike's high school existence leaned on Riley's arm, swaying to and fro somewhat. Long dark hair hung past frail shoulders and stood as a sharp contrast to her pale face. It was said that Drusilla Mares was either psychic, insane or both. At any rate the girl was very strange. The only reason she was allowed near the group was because she was Darla's cousin and Angel had taken a liking to her insane ramblings. Somehow from them he gleamed whether the team was going to win or lose.

At the moment, though, the girl's almost hypnotic gaze was focused on a certain platinum blonde, who had yet to turn and face the teasing teens behind him. "It's alright, Spike," she drawled, her voice lilting, calming and disturbing all at the same time. "They just want you home to stop the circle and fill the void."

Spike's head shot up from its resting place and whirled around to face Drusilla. "What did you say?"

But Drusilla's attention was gone. Her mind had retreated to wherever it resided when she wasn't predicting sports scores or the announcing the somewhat damning fates of her fellow students. "She said that they want you back," Darla's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Probably to see if you choke like you did last night. I thought you said that you could handle it, Spike." His shoulders slumped and once again he found his locker combination to be utterly fascinating.

"Why don't ya'll just leave him alone?" Fred asked, stepping in front of him as well. "Don't you have anything better to do? Like knock over a liquor store or rob old ladies in a park?"

"Relax," Angel said, cutting through the tension. It wasn't clear who exactly he was talking to as all of them looked ready to fight. He stepped closer to the Scoobies with his hands held up signaling his peaceful intentions. "I just came to see how Spike was feeling."

"Like a bloody loser," Spike's voice was muffled by the locker his head was resting against.

"Do you mind me asking just what happened in there?"

Apparently he did mind, as Spike lifted his head once again with anger blazing in his eyes. "What? You want another laugh? Okay, go ahead and laugh. I screamed, ran, the whole lot because I got spooked by nothing. Nothing happened in that house. Nothing at all. Now if you'll excuse me, some of us actually plan on going to classes today."

He pushed himself off the lockers and stormed away from the others. His friends and those decidedly less friendly, watched him walk away. Xander turned to the two groups with an eyebrow raised. "Okay. Show of hands. Who actually believes nothing happened in that house?"

Darla and Riley were the only two that raised a hand.

* * *

Throughout the day Spike had the nagging feeling he was missing something. In truth it had started once he crossed the threshold of Crawford manor. He had been wrong. There definitely was something very wrong in that that house and he knew that he had something to do with that wrongness. He felt it ever since he and his father drove past the house on their way into Sunnydale and last night's foray into the house had only confirmed it. He couldn't ignore it anymore. The house was calling to him even now.

He woke something up when he went inside and that something wanted him badly. How he wished he had just listened to Xander and left it alone. "Ignorance really is bliss," he muttered as he pushed through the double doors leading to the school's library. "Too bloody true."

"Do you always talk to yourself or did I just get lucky to see the show?"

The sound of the familiar lilting Irish tone sent a chill down his back. He froze glaring at the young man sitting on one of the tables in the center of the library. He wondered idly how long he had been sitting there and why his father hadn't kicked him out for desecrating his precious library. It was then that he realized he had been staring at Angel for quite some time.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I'm in a library, Spike. I think it's painfully obvious that I'm not in here for my health, fun or grades. So I think it's clear why I'm here."

Spike sighed, running a hand through his hair absently noting it was time for a touch up and hair cut. "Can we just not do this today, Peaches?"

"Peaches?" Angel looked puzzled before remembering just what had earned him that particular nickname. It was one of the many reasons he and Darla were no longer a couple. The girl was extremely chatty about her boyfriend's grooming patterns. A guy uses peach scented shampoo once and he's branded a poof for the rest of his life. "I'm going to kill Darla."

"You'll get no arguments here. But care to do it somewhere far from here and me?" Spike retorted, slinging his bag down on the table opposite Angel's and sitting on the table as well. He noticed the older boy wasn't going anywhere. "So what is it that you want, again?"

"I came here because you didn't seem to be in a talkative mood this morning which given the way Darla and Riley were running their mouths is completely understandable. They have a tendency to let their mouths run when they should be scoping out a situation."

Spike shifted uncomfortably. "And what situation should they have been scoping?"

"Something happened in that house."

"Not this again. Listen to me very carefully," he said as if talking to a very slow child. "Nothing happened! You lot were right. I'm a bloody coward, that's all."

Angel shook his head. "No, I heard that scream. We all heard it and that definitely wasn't you. You were running from whatever made that scream. So that makes me wonder what happened and why does that house want you so badly."

A scarred eyebrow rose slightly. "It's a house, poof. What makes you think an inanimate object wants me?"

"Because nothing even remotely like whatever went down in that house last night happened before. Crawford Manor likes more than one victim. But it didn't want any of the rest of us. It wanted to keep us out and away from you," Angel explained. His eyes were serious which made Spike even more nervous. "Not to mention before you passed out you said hell wanted you back and Dru pretty much said the same thing."

"So that's what you got from that, huh? And here I was thinking she was talking about the weather," he shot back sarcastically. He sighed when he saw that Angel wasn't rising to the bait. He was serious about this and he wasn't giving up. "No offense and sorry to break your whole X Files vibe, but Dru doesn't seem to be playing with a full deck. Neither are you it you believe half the crap that just came out of your mouth."

Angel rolled his eyes and continued to stare at him. "Spike, I know we don't get along. I know that you really don't like me but I also know something did happen to you in that house. You are one of the bravest people in this school, probably this whole damn town. If it spooked you that badly it must have been huge."

Spike chose to ignore the inadvertent compliment and instead chose to continue his denial. It was a nice place. He felt comfortable there. So why were so many people determined to rip him away from the only security he had left at the moment?

"For the last time, nothing happened and nothing will happen. Got it yet, poof? Go back to your friends and leave me the hell alone."

"Spike," Angel's tone changed. There was almost a hint of pleading there. It made him stop to think prompting Angel to continue. "You're the key to this whole thing. I don't know how or why but you're the answer."

The blonde raked a hand through his hair once again. It was soothing and gave him enough time to think. "Why are you so gung ho on playing bloody Hardy Boys anyway?"

"Because I need to know what happened to someone I love," he said simply. He pulled out his wallet producing a small photo which he handed to Spike. The younger teen took it hesitantly. It was an older photo as Angel was clearly much younger, not to mention chubbier. A small part of him noted that with mild amusement. Standing next to him with an arm around him was a dark haired girl smiling brightly at the camera.

"My sister, Faith. Well rather, my stepsister but I loved her like she was really my sister, you know?"

Spike knew how he felt. That was similar to the relationship between him and Wesley. They had known each their whole lives. While he would never tell him, he thought of Wesley as an older brother. But if he wasn't going to tell Wesley, like hell he was going to tell Angel.

"As nice as this has been, what's the point?"

"Two years ago, she and two of her friend snuck into that house. I never saw her again. They found the bodies of her friends but never Faith. There was no sign of her anywhere."

Spike felt a chill race down his spine. He looked down at the photo once more. He stared at the dark haired beauty and for a moment he could hear her screaming. The picture changed before his very eyes into a grotesque mask of fear and death. A face he recognized from his journey inside the house. Spike inwardly gasped and shoved the picture back into Angel's hand. He jumped off the table and started pacing nervously.

"I'm sorry for your loss, mate, but I still don't get what this has to do with me."

"Spike, I'm not as dumb as you think. I know something is wrong with that house. That was my real reason for being there last night. I was going to try and talk you out of going in. I knew you would do it. But then I heard that scream." He paused swallowing. "It was Faith. She's still in that house somehow. I need to know what happened to her. And I need you to help me."

Spike stopped pacing to stare at the football player in shock. "You hit your head a little too hard during practice today, didn't you? You want me to help you? You want me to go back in there after what happened last night?"

"So you're admitting something happened?"

"Of course something happened!" he ground out. "I remember every bloody thing that happened, which is why I'm not going back in there!"

"It will be different this time," Angel replied, standing up as well. "There has to be something about you that makes you special. Maybe if we figure that out, we can get to the bottom of this."

"Maybe they just like my stellar personality," Spike hissed. "Look good luck with your vengeance quest and all. But there is no way in hell I'm going back to that house…."

"Without more information."

Both young men turned away from their heated discussion to the redhead who emerged from the stacks behind them. Spike sat down heavily as his father and Wesley joined her scarcely a second later. The older Giles had a pensive look on his face as he stared his child down. He removed his glasses, rubbing them on his shirt. Spike sighed at the familiar gesture.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!"

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Alright. Hope you guys are still interested. I promise I will get back to everysingle one of you wonderful people who reviewed. Thanks everyone. Next chapter should be up in a few days, Thursday the latest. Bye for now. 


	3. Haunting Dreams

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone. This would have been up earlier today but for some reason hates me and wouldn't let me upload. So here you go, your slightly late chapter two. Hope you all enjoy

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Haunting Dreams 

Spike ignored the protests of his father as he dragged his weary body up the stairs. His back felt like it was on fire and every step sent white hot bursts of pain coursing through his body. Every muscle revolted against the movements but stopping would mean facing his father again. And after spending practically the whole night in the library with his father, friends and Angel, the idea of talking anymore made his head want to explode.

He sighed as he got the middle of the stairs and his legs threatened to give out from exertion. He tried to move a little more but his body just wouldn't cooperate. Just as he was about to let himself fall, a gentle arm wrapped around his waist, steadying him and helping him up the remaining steps. Spike leaned against his father and they remained in silence until they reached his room. Giles helped ease his son onto his bed and immediately started pacing.

"Guess we know where I got that habit from," Spike muttered. Giles stopped short and glared at his injured child. Spike looked up at him innocently. "What?"

"You could have told me you were hurt."

"I could have but then I would have had to explain everything that happening last night. And you wouldn't have been too happy with me, pops."

"As much as I love hearing your sarcasm, William. I would have been upset that you went into that house but your health and well being are more important to me," Giles sighed, his face and tone softening. "You're all I've got left, Will."

Spike looked away nodding his head slowly. "I know. I'm sorry, dad."

"I know. Now lie down, I need to see how bad your back is."

He watched as his son removed his shirt gingerly and lay down on his stomach. Giles winced at the angry vivid bruising marring his son's skin but nothing looked life threatening just painful. After putting some cream that would aid with the bruising he helped his son change into his pajamas.

"Are you mad at me?" Spike asked looking up at him. Giles smiled and sat down beside him. Even though he had every right in the world to be furious with the boy, he just couldn't make himself. Especially not when he was looking at him with eyes wide and innocent, looking for all the world like his mother. He ruffled his son's hair.

"No, Will, I'm not mad at you," he sighed, heavily. "From everything I've heard you couldn't help but be drawn to the house. And based off what happened, I'd say that house has a lot more going on than anyone has given it credit for. You are the key to that and I don't know why. From a purely historical view, I think it would be marvelous if you were to try and solve this mystery. But as your father, I say bullocks to the whole ludicrous idea and I'm more than willing to pack it up and move if you want. I hear New York is great this time of year."

Spike's lips curled into the first smile he had given all day. "Thanks, dad. For the record, you're doing a good job."

Giles smiled wider as he nodded. "I think I'm doing a smashing job, if I do say so myself." He paused. "She would be proud of you, you know?"

Spike raised an eyebrow skeptically. "She'd be proud of me sneaking into abandoned buildings at night and then breaking the windows of said building?"

"Well, I don't think she'd be proud of your choice in extra curricular activities or the nickname," Giles amended with a laugh. "But pushing that aside I think you've grown into a well adjusted young man. You're smart, Will. Smarter than you give yourself credit for. You've also got a wonderful group of friends who care for you very much. And if you ever tell them this, I'll rip you apart myself. They're a decent bunch of kids." He paused. "For a bunch of Americans. And Wesley."

Spike closed his eyes and laughed. "Yeah, they really are. Thanks dad, for you know, being there. I know I'm a pain but I really do appreciate you."

Giles reached over and pulled him into a hug being careful of his bruised back. When he pulled back he saw the smirk on Spike's face. He ruffled his hair again and pushed him away with a similar smirk.

"Go to bed, you look like shit."

"Thanks a lot, Ripper!" Spike shot back.

"I'm going to kill Ethan for telling you about that," Giles sighed. "You two have been a pain in my ass ever since."

"Is Tara still coming this weekend?" he asked, yawning.

"Of course," Giles eased him back onto the bed, pulling the covers up. "You know you two can't be apart for more than two months before one or both of you start acting out."

"Is that what we're calling this? Me acting out?"

Giles smiled, running a hand over his son's hair. "No, I call this reckless, stupid and undeniably you. Breaking into a supposedly haunted house just reeks of you."

"Mmm hmm," Spike murmured, already half asleep. Giles leaned down placing an uncharacteristic kiss on his son's forehead.

"I love you, Will."

"Love you too, dad" there was a brief pause and Giles figured he had fallen asleep. "You're going to pay for that, I hope you know."

The older man laughed and sat back on the bed as his son finally gave into sleep. He watched him for awhile suddenly griped by an irrational fear of loosing him. He knew it was crazy. A house. He was afraid of a bloody house taking away his child. But he had heard both Angel's and Xander's accounts about the previous night. They flowed together too well. There was no way they were both lying despite his need for that to be the case. But whether he believed it or not, something in that house wanted to take away his boy. But he'd be damned if they did.

_

* * *

The first thing that he noticed as he looked around the room was that he was most definitely not home. This place was foreign and it gave off vibes of sadness and death. Despite the warm, almost inviting décor and atmosphere, he felt cold and alone. And suddenly all he wanted was to find his father and crawl into his bed like he used to when he was younger. The sun was shining through the high windows brightly and he couldn't help but think it was wrong for the sun to be so bright. Things just didn't feel right. Still he stepped forward against his own accord and made his way into a small parlor. The sun was even brighter in the room and glinted off the blonde hair of one the two girls sitting a small table in the corner. They were giggling and looked up from their private conversation to smile at him. _

"_Well it's about time you joined us silly," the older blonde said with a huge smile. "Lydia and I have been quite bored waiting all this time for you to find your way back home." _

"_Are you talking to me?" Spike asked hesitantly. "Because if you are then I think you ducks got the wrong bloke." The younger of the girls frowned and looked to her sister. The blonde frowned for a moment before smiling again. Her smile rivaling the sun in its brightness. _

"_Don't be silly, William. You've been missing for so long but now you're finally home and we can be a family again." _

"_A family?" he turned around to see three men walking in. The older looking man had graying hair and brown eyes that peered at him through glasses. He smiled at the confused young man lovingly. _

"_William, welcome home!" he pulled Spike into a hug before releasing him into the embrace of the other two men. _

"_Welcome home, brother," the oldest of the pair said. "Jacob here didn't think you would be coming. I told him that you would find your way eventually." _

"_Of course Michael, because you know everything," Jacob rolled his eyes. He had piercing brown eyes and a friendly yet familiar smile. It was a smile that Spike remembered seeing before. Realization dawned on him as he realized that this was the Crawford family. He recognized them from a picture hanging in that very same parlor the night before. For some reason he was talking to a family that had been dead for almost eighty years._

_And the weirdness didn't stop there. His heart almost stopped beating as he saw the woman who walked into the parlor a moment later. Everything about her was familiar and created a desperate sense of need in him. The brown hair that was swept up into a delicate chiffon bun that revealed her delicate neck and sharp cheekbones. She swept into the room with delicate grace and ease. For a moment he was taken back to a time when he was young and all was right with his world. _

"_Mom?" his voice shook giving the word extra syllables. "But this can't be. I saw you… you died. You can't be here." _

"_I'm here and now you are too, William. You're home, my darling boy." _

_Spike shook his head, tears clouding his vision somewhat. "What about dad? What about him?"_

"_I'm right here, William. What ever are you talking about?"_

_He fixed his cool gaze on the man now seated at the table. "You are not my father! Rupert Giles is my father." _

_The older girl rose to her feet and stood in front of Spike before his father could say anything. "William, why are you making this so difficult. Just accept that this is where you belong. Come home to us." _

"_No," Spike put a hand up, backing away from her. "No way in bloody hell. This isn't real. All you people are dead! I'm not dead. So bugger it all. I want out of this dream." _

"_Now you listen here!" Michael the elder rose to his feet in anger. His wife placed a calming hand on his arm, while the older girl merely smiled serenely. _

"_It's alright, Father. He will come to accept it in time. For now he just needs to wake up. Do you hear me, William? Its time for you to wake up." _

* * *

Spike woke with a start blinking rapidly at the ceiling above him. The view was replaced a moment later by the sight of his father staring at him in concern. Spike sat up, still panting somewhat. Giles sat down on the bed beside him and handed him the mug in his hands. He gave his father a confused look. 

"You looked like you needed it more than I do," Giles shrugged. "Rough dream?"

"You have no idea," he gulped down the coffee quickly and motioned for his father to move. "I'll tell you at lunch, okay?"

"You sure you're up for school today? You look a little," he paused. "Not good."

"Thanks, dad," he retorted, dryly. "But I'm fine. I need to talk to the others."

Giles paused, hesitantly. "Fine, but if you feel bad at any point today, you will tell me, right?" Spike nodded. "You're lying. I love you but you're lying. Let's go. I know better than to try and stop you when you have your heart set on something. I guess I should appreciate that you actually want to go to school for once."

Spike pushed himself off the bed, hurriedly putting his clothes on and followed his father to the car. They managed to make it to school just in time for Spike to skid by Principal Snyder with a smirk and a glib comment and race to his homeroom seat next to Xander. Xander started to comment on his appearance but a stern look warned him of the repercussions of that action.

After homeroom, he had first period gym with Xander, Fred, and the more obnoxious half of the Fang Gang, Darla and Riley. He walked over to the pair and informed that he needed to speak to their fearless leader. When Riley laughed at him, Spike had merely walked away. Later though as they were playing dodge ball, he 'accidentally' threw the ball so hard it almost broke his nose. But of course it was purely by accident.

"So exactly how much trouble are you in for the whole nose incident, anyway?" Wesley asked, during their lunch period. He was trying to appear stern but Xander's and Spike's very colorful rendition of Riley's unfortunate accident wouldn't allow for the usual reproaching tone he would have used. Wesley shook his head. "You're going to get yourself tossed out of here like you did back in England. Is that what you want?" To his dismay, Spike just grinned.

"It was an accident, Wes," he said, trying hard to wipe the smile off his face. "I just didn't see his face there, I swear."

"You're just lucky that Ms. Calendar was substituting and she thinks your dad is hot," Fred reminded him. "Or else you would have been in a lot more trouble."

"That and everyone else at this school is as sick of those Fang Gang jerks as we are," Xander added.

"Gee, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside," a voice above them said. They looked up to see Angel standing there with his lunch tray. And without as much as a warning he plopped down beside Willow. He turned his attention to his lunch but pointed his fork in Spike's direction before speaking. "So Riley tells me you wanted to speak with me. Or at least that's what I deciphered from his whines through his not broken, but definitely messed up, nose."

"I'm not sorry about that, Peaches."

"I know," Angel looked up from his lunch. "Me either." Spike nodded in mutual understanding. Perhaps Angel wasn't that bad after all. "So really what did you need to talk to me about?"

Spike sighed, his jovial attitude disappearing rapidly. "I had a dream last night."

"And this involves me, how?"

Wesley cleared his throat as he noticed that Fred had taken more than a slight interest in the turn this conversation had taken. The Texan put a hand over her mouth to hide her wide smile. Beside her, Willow was doing the same. Spike narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Do your minds constantly live in the gutter?" he reprimanded, only half seriously. "But to answer the question, poof, yes it does. I had a dream about Crawford Manor and its infamous residents."

"What? When was this and why was I not informed?" Xander's eyes widened. "Spike, this is getting out of hand. Now you're dreaming about dead people? What next? We seriously need to put an end to this."

"I agree, and that's why I've come to a decision," he sighed, uncomfortable with all the eyes suddenly focusing on him. "We do need to figure out what's going on. Because somehow… my mother is involved and I need to know how and why."

"Your mother?" Wesley repeated softly. He put a hand on his younger friend's shoulder. "You know that she's…."

"Gone, I know, Wes. But somehow she's connected with all this," he laughed dryly. "This, whatever you want to call it. I need to know." Spike then looked to Angel. "So I'm in. I'm going to help you. But you need to promise me that this isn't going to bite me in the ass later."

"I promise."

"And keep your bunch of freaks away from me and mine. 'Sides you and Dru, there isn't a decent one amongst the lot."

The sound of a throat clearing prompted them all to turn around. Buffy Summers stood behind them arching an eyebrow gracefully. "Well you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome," she quipped, sitting beside Angel. "We were wondering where you disappeared off to. I guess I can see why you didn't tell us where you were eating today. Riley's not exactly happy at the moment."

Spike rolled his eyes, regretting the move as it made the headache that had been slowly forming even worse. He pushed his picked over lunch away, dumping it on Wesley's tray and rose from the table. "Hey, where are you going?" Xander asked.

"Got to talk to my dad," he replied, shrugging off Xander's concern. The two friends had a staring match with Xander finally conceding that Spike couldn't really get into that much trouble going to a library. Although, this was Spike he was talking about. At the rate he was going he'd probably be abducted by an ancient race of vampires that lived in the school's basement. Xander snorted at the mental image the thought produced, earning him several curious looks. Spike cleared his throat and looked over to Angel. "Peaches, if you're really serious about this, I'll be in the library today after school. And remember what I said."

He walked away from the table before anyone could say anything further. As he walked the familiar route to the library on autopilot, he couldn't help but go over the dream in his mind. He had been trying to process it the whole day but he still couldn't understand what it all meant. They wanted him to go home? But he was home. He was with his family. His father. Wasn't he? He rubbed his forehead tiredly. Stupid sodden house. Should have been torched years ago and then none of this would be happening. As his headache grew worse, he leaned his weary body against the wall behind him.

"So maybe school wasn't the best idea today after all," he muttered, as the pounding in his head grew stronger. Suddenly there was a gentle tapping on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and groaned when he saw who it was. "What do you want?"

"Well I wanted to see if you were alright, but I guess that's out of the question," Buffy snapped. They rolled their eyes in unison, each turning away from the other to stare down the hall in opposite directions. "So are you okay?" she finally asked after a long pause.

"Do I look okay? A bloody house is haunting me! The best case scenario here is that I've gone completely bonkers."

Buffy's face softened and she moved closer to him. Her hand moved hesitantly towards his shoulder. When he didn't move away or make any outward signs of rejection, the girl rested it there lightly. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think you're crazy."

"I wish I was, pet," he sighed, closing his eyes. Another silence passed over the pair as they stood in the empty hallway. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"I'm not that bad, am I?"

He opened his eyes and fixed her with a look. "There hasn't been a day since I met you that you haven't glared at me for something."

"That's usually because you're opening your mouth without thinking. You can be really obnoxious, you know that?"

"Some find that to be an attractive trait in me," he protested, with a slight smile. "But if I'm so annoying, why are you here with me?"

Buffy let her hand slide away as a slight flush entered her face. "Because maybe I don't think you're annoying all of the time. And besides, I was worried about you."

"Worried about me? That's a first," he closed his eyes again.

"What's this thing you're doing with Angel?"

"And we get to what you really wanted. This was really all about Angel."

She suppressed the urge to smack him and clenched her hands tightly at her side. "I told you I came over here to talk to you. Why do you always have to be such a jerk?"

"Because that's who I am, princess. Take it or leave it." He pushed himself off the wall and started to walk away.

"I'm not done with you!"

"Well I'm done with you!" he retorted. She started after him catching up to him quickly given the slow pace he had adopted. He glared over at her, but didn't dare to stop. He just wanted her to leave him alone. After a few minutes, he realized she wasn't leaving his side. "What do you want from me, Buffy? If you want to know what your precious boyfriend is up to so badly, why not just ask him? Why are you harassing me?"

"Angel won't tell me what's going on."

Spike scoffed. "Great, so because Peaches is clamming up on you, you've decided to bug me for answers."

"No," she said, softly. Her tone prompted him to stop walking and turn around to face her. "I meant what I said before, Spike. I am worried about you. Not Angel. From what I saw last night, whatever is in that house is after you and not him. I guess what I'm saying is that if you're planning on going back in there, just be careful, alright?"

For once in his life, William Giles was at a loss for words. Finally, he managed to overcome his stupor enough to nod his head. Buffy smiled at him and her hand somehow found its way to his. "So, now that you understand. You going to let me in on this idea of yours so I can help or what?"

Spike still couldn't form real words but the smile that crossed his lips at that moment was more than enough of an answer for her. She was in.

* * *

And that's about as fluffy as this story is going to get. At least for now. I'm still writing it so it might get worse. They might even hug. ;-) 


	4. To Hell and Back Sorta

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. Expect weekly updates from this point on. I didn't know my job was going to be so demanding this summer. Yeah, working as a camp counselor and I somehow thought that was going to be easy. Sometimes I amaze myself. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter though. Trust me the next chapter will be up early next week, probably after the holiday.

* * *

To Hell and Back... Sorta...

"So let me get this straight," Tara McClay said, as she leaned against the headboard of the bed she and Spike were sitting on. "You're helping some guy that you barely tolerated, much less liked, solve the mystery of what happened to his sister years ago. Not to mention, that you're completely head over heels in love with this guy's girlfriend and it sounds like its pretty safe to say that she might be feeling the same. Meanwhile, you're having dreams that are creepy just hearing about and Aunt Rebecca is involved. Did I get everything in there or did I leave something out?"

Spike arched an eyebrow, shooting the girl a dark look. "Whatever would I do without your emotional guidance and support, Glenda?"

"When are you going to stop calling me that?"

"Oh, I'm thinking six days after never."

The young woman tried to muster a dirty look but as usual failed when it came to her beloved younger cousin. With only a two year difference between them, the two cousins had pretty much grown up together. There was only a fence to separate the two from one another and as a result they were extremely close. That is until Spike's mother had passed away when Tara was nine and Spike seven. That's when Giles and Spike had moved back to England for awhile. Now ten years later they were back and only a two hour drive away from her. The boy that had left Los Angeles had been quiet, small for his age and clearly lost in his skin after the sudden loss of his mother. The boy that she had met two years later was drastically different. He was cocky, loud and boisterous and had a brand new nickname to go with the attitude. And at the moment, she wasn't sure who she was looking at, William or the Spike persona he built to protect himself.

She reached over and took his hand in hers. "I talked to Wes this morning. He's worried about you."

Spike gave her another look. "So big brother had to call big sister, huh? You two do this often?"

"Can the attitude, Will. You know it's only because we both care," Tara snapped. "We both love you, although sometimes I wonder why." She sighed once the kicked puppy look appeared on his face. She squeezed his hand. "I really don't know what it is about you that makes people love you."

"That's been something I've been trying to figure out since he could talk," Giles chimed in the conversation. Spike looked over his shoulder at his father. The elder Giles didn't bother to look back at the pair sitting on his bed. Instead he kept his attention on the computer before him. "Your mother put it down to your eyes."

"Yeah, I'd have to say it's the eyes. But really, Will, are you okay? And no snarky answer. Just the truth. Are you alright?"

Giles turned around now, clearly interested in the turn this conversation had taken. He knew that his son was trying to put on a brave front, but the lack of sleep and ever increasing feeling of doom was wearing him down. It had been less than a week since he had been in that house and he was already starting to show signs of cracking. He was happy that Tara was here. If anyone could get through to his son, it was Tara.

"I'm scared," he finally answered. "What do they want from me? That house keeps calling to me and it's getting harder to avoid going back. But what if I go back there and I can't get back out?"

"Do you really think I would let that happen?" Giles asked him. Spike mustered a wan smile.

"No, I know you'd burn that place to the ground to get me back, dad. But I just don't understand why they want me in the first place. I know I'm hard to resist but this is a bit much, don't you think?"

His father nodded, glad to see the valiant effort at levity. It was more than Spike had offered up in the last couple of days. Tara was already having a positive effect. Now he just had to convince his in-laws to let him keep his niece there until all this was over. How hard could it be? Just call them up and ask permission for Tara to skip a few weeks of college so that she could support Spike who was being haunted by a house. Yeah, that was going to be a productive phone call.

Shaking off that train of thought, at least for now, he turned his attention back to the two teens in front of him. "I've been researching any possible connection between you and the Crawford's and everything is coming up blank. As interesting as their family history may be, there is nothing that connects you to them."

"Maybe I'm a great grand child or something."

"Impossible."

"How do you know? Mom was adopted. You never know if one of them could have been related to her or not."

"No, I mean its impossible because of the four children, none of them lived long enough to have children."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, well that would do it, I guess."

"But I've only been looking for a few days. Sometimes these things can take weeks, even months," Giles paused, seeing the dimming light in his child. "But we will find something, Will. I promise you."

"I know," Spike lay back down on the bed, his eyes closing his eyes. Suddenly they snapped open again and Tara looked at him with a question in her eyes. He grinned sheepishly. "Really don't want to fall asleep right now." He sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Dad, I know I have school and all tomorrow, but can I take a walk over to Xander's?"

"Sure, but Tara, you go with him. I need someone there to make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid along with Xander."

"On behalf of myself and the whelp, I'm offended. But only a little given that the last time we went unsupervised a house started haunting me."

"And on that note, promise you won't go anywhere near the Crawford house tonight."

"Father, I'm appalled that you don't trust me."

Giles peered over the top of his glasses. "William, you forget that I know you. Now promise me."

"I swear Xander, Tara, and I will not go anywhere near Crawford Manor alone tonight," he held up a hand in solemn promise. Giles narrowed his eyes but nodded allowing the two to leave for the evening.

Half an hour later found Tara staring at her cousin in disbelief. The place was making her skin crawl just standing near it and she couldn't begin to imagine actually going inside. No wonder Spike's dreams were being haunted by this place. She knew she wouldn't be able to shake the imposing image from her dreams tonight. Which is why she was absolutely dumbfounded as to why they were standing outside the house in the first place.

"Will! You promised Uncle Giles we wouldn't go anywhere near this place."

"I said we wouldn't go here alone," Spike amended. "And we're not. I called Red."

"Oh, I don't believe this," Tara muttered. "And she is actually contributing to this madness? Oh, you're one of a kind, Will."

"Ta, pet," he pecked her on the cheek quickly before rising from his crouched position to greet the very grumpy redhead currently approaching them. He flashed a brilliant smile that usually never failed to bring a smile to her face. Usually, but tonight was far from usual circumstances. For one thing she was being asked to meet up with her best friends and girlfriend outside a haunted house that for some reason or another was haunting them. No, tonight was definitely not usual. This is why Spike wasn't surprised to see the dark glare she was giving him once she finally came to a stop in front of the pair. "Hello, Red. You're looking lovely as usual."

Willow ignored the attempting at winning her over to his side and instead crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. "Spike, have you completely taken leave of whatever brain cells you had left? What are we doing out here? I distinctly remember your father said for you not to go anywhere near this place. But look here we are, right where he said not to be."

Spike feigned a look of innocence. "I thought you would be happy to be spending some quality time with your girlfriend."

Willow glanced down as if noticing Tara for the first time. She smiled tensely. "Please tell me you had nothing to do with this."

"I'm as shocked and appalled as you," Tara grinned. "Although given what I know about my darling cousin, I really shouldn't be." She rose as well. "Let me guess, Wesley didn't warrant a phone call, huh?"

"You really expect me to take Percy in there? He'd probably be jumping all over the place either scared out of his mind or trying to study it. Fred would ramble on in that adorable geek speak of hers. And I really couldn't deal with either of that tonight."

"Not to mention both of them would have called your dad."

"I really hate you, you know that?" Spike smiled sweetly at his cousin. "So where the hell is the whelp? He should have been here by now."

They heard a rustling behind them and a moment later, a yawning Xander appeared. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "He's right here," Xander said around another yawn. "I bought some reinforcements."

"Really now?"

"Yes, really," Angel appeared behind Xander. He pinned the younger blonde with a look. "What were you thinking coming out here alone?"

"But I'm not really alone if you think about it."

Angel rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. I'm starting to realize why I never liked you." The smile playing across his lips relieved any tension the statement might have caused. "You think way too much like me."

"Coming from you, Peaches. I'll take it as a compliment."

Angel nodded hesitantly and then glanced over his shoulder. When he turned back around he saw the four friends staring at him. "He's got that look," Xander said.

"Yup, that look like he's about to say something that's going to make me want to hurt him," Spike added. "Angelus, don't tell me you did what I think you did."

Angel chuckled nervously and shifted from one foot to the other. "And exactly what is it that you think I did?"

"Don't tell me that you brought your merry band of idiots with you."

The football player remained silent. He lowered his eyes to ground when he heard footsteps behind them. Pretty soon he heard Spike let out a low growl and stomp away. Tara went over to attempt to calm him down while Xander and Willow were left to witness the arrival of the Fang Gang.

"You know, Angel, when I called to tell you what was going on, I didn't think you were going to bring the whole damn neighborhood with you!" Xander snapped. He rolled his eyes as he took in the newcomers. With the exception of Buffy and Angel, they were all wearing black clothing complete with camouflage gear. Drusilla was wearing her typical garb of a long form fitting black dress and appeared to be carrying a doll with no eyes. This was their team. They were doomed.

Angel sighed. "They were going to tell my parents. And I couldn't let that happen. If they even thought I was doing something around this house they'd ground me for life. So I had to let them come."

Xander sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. Finally he turned around to where Spike and Tara were standing. "Spike, we still going in or what?"

"Wait, going in? As in inside the house?" Willow squeaked. "Okay now I know you've lost it! You really want to go in there?"

Spike rolled his eyes as Tara pushed him towards the larger group. "We're not going to find anything standing out here. I doubt the house is really going to start spitting stuff at us through the windows." He paused for a moment and noticed that he wasn't the only one who glanced at the house briefly. Satisfied that at least for the moment the house wasn't going to be throwing anything at them, he focused his attention on convincing Willow. "The house is only awake when I'm in there. So I have to go back in."

"Spike, the last time you were in there, something scared you so bad that you jumped out a window to get away!"

"Yes, but last time I was alone," he grinned. "This time I'm not. I've got you guys."

"And the canon fodder," Xander added, nodding his head towards Riley and Darla. "Everyone knows that the skank and the dumb jerk jocks die first."

"I'll show you who's a jock!" Riley started towards him, but Angel put a hand quickly separating the pair.

"Knock it off! We're on the same side tonight, alright?" he snapped to his friend. "We all want to know what's going on in that house and this is a really good way to figure it out. So just chill, alright?"

Riley rolled his eyes but did as he was told. It was then that he noticed Tara. He cocked his head to the side. "Who's the new chick?" he asked, before noticing Willow and Tara's joined hands. A look that could only be described as a leer entered his eye and both found themselves shuddering.

Tara sighed. "We're so going to die."

"Riley, Darla, Cordy, just back off alright?"

"What?" Cordelia snapped. "I didn't even say anything!"

"But you were going to," Buffy replied, speaking for the first time that evening. The tallest of the pair gave her a look which the blonde returned with equal intensity. Finally, Cordelia shrugged and looked away. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Angel gave her a grateful smile. "Look for tonight, we're all on the same side, so there will be no insulting Spike or his friends. Got it?"

"Even Xander?"

"Especially Xander," Spike retorted coldly. Cordelia glanced in his direction and sighed once again.

"God, this is like a twisted episode of Scooby Doo. What's next, Freddy? You gonna tell us to split up and search the place?"

Despite himself, Angel couldn't help but smile. It didn't hurt that Cordelia smiled just a bit herself. He covered up the moment with a curt nod. "I think it's better if we all split. It'll be more productive. Buff, you and Cordy should go with Spike's group. The rest of us will cover the other side of the house."

"You want us to go in there with the one that makes the place act all whacked out in the first place?" Cordelia blinked in disbelief. "We really are canon fodder!"

Xander grinned in her direction. "Told you so."

Spike rolled his eyes. He was starting to think it would have been better to return to the house alone if this is what he was going to have to deal with. Without being conscious of it, his eyes drifted towards a certain blonde and her boyfriend. They were whispering quietly to one another. At one point, Angel glanced briefly at Spike and then smiled down at Buffy. The conversation seemed to end after that. He gave Buffy's hand a tender squeeze and the pair joined the group at the foot of the porch stairs.

"Be careful," Angel said to Spike, pointedly ignoring the almost glowering look the younger teen was giving him.

"Yeah, yeah. Easy for you to say, you're not the one the bloody house is after." He frowned as they broke into their groups with the Fang Gang in the lead. Drusilla was the first to reach the top of the stairs and she placed her hands on the wooden doors silently. Suddenly she gasped and turned around with wide eyes to Spike.

"You shouldn't be here," she shook her head. Her breathing was coming in rapid gasps now. "They want you back. They want you very badly. Leave."

Despite himself, Spike mustered a smile and approached the girl. "Yeah, well they ain't getting me without a fight, pet. So don't you go worrying your pretty little head about me." He gave her shoulders a gentle shake and was rewarded with a hesitant smile from the frail girl. He failed to see the scowl that darkened Buffy's face while watching the exchange. Finally, Spike turned to the others. "Alright, let's just do this."

"Famous last words, Custer," Tara muttered as she followed her cousin into the house and what she was sure to be certain doom. The things she did for this boy.

* * *

Hope you all liked. Happy Fourth of July to all those that celebrate the holiday. 


	5. Disappearing Acts

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will possibly be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Sorry about the delay. My laptop was dead for the last couple of weeks. Everything appears to be in working order no, so hopefully no more delays in chapters. Thanks for reading, reviewing and sticking with the story. It means a lot.

* * *

**Disappearing Acts**

Spike was annoyed. It was a little difficult to avoid this particular emotion given the circumstances he found himself in at the moment. Not only was he completely uneasy about walking around in a house that was literally haunting his dreams and every waking moment, but he was walking around said house with what had to be the five most annoying people on the face of the earth. For some reason Cordelia had latched herself onto his arm and refused to let go. Every single sound they heard caused the cheerleader to clutch tighter until he no longer had feeling in his right arm. Not to mention this was causing the petite blonde she called her best friend to pout and sulk in the back of the group.

And those two were but minor annoyances given that Willow and Tara felt the need to flirt non stop since they crossed the threshold and Xander was singing very loudly and very off key. Not to mention the shadow puppets he insisted in making in the flashlight's beam. So it was no small surprise that Spike was annoyed. And feeling a bit homicidal at the moment. Although there were no sign of any ghosts or manifestations so perhaps things weren't so bad. And that's when Xander hit a high note. Suddenly his resolve broke and he was really going to attempt beating his best friend to death with the cheerleader on his arm.

"Oi, that's it whelp! If you don't shut the…"

"Wait, do you hear that?"

"Yeah, I hear the whelp's really bad singing!"

"No, that sound."

"My singing isn't so bad! It's not like yours is so much better!"

"Actually I've heard him, he isn't so bad," Tara supported.

"You're just saying that because you're related to him."

"Really, am I the only one that hears this?"

"Hey, I'm related to him but that doesn't mean I like everything about him. Like his hair. I've hated it ever since he was thirteen and decided to get that stupid hair color."

"Hey! I like my hair thank you very much."

"Guys!" Willow cut through their conversations. "I said do any of you hear that?"

"Hear what, Red?"

"Listen," she put her finger on her lips and motioned around the room. The six teenagers all paused and listened carefully. Just as Spike was about to open his mouth to complain about the phantom sound he heard it. It was a soft murmuring noise at first but became louder and clearer with every passing moment. The melody was soothing and calmed the frayed nerves of the group.

"It's a lullaby," Buffy said in a hushed tone. She turned to Spike who was murmuring the words to the song. Tara's eyes filled with recognition at the song and her cousin's apparent knowledge of the song. And slowly her face melted into one of sympathy and mutual understanding. Her hand reached out and found Spike's. She squeezed it tightly.

"You guys know the song?" Xander asked, feeling stupid for stating the obvious but unsure of whether either of them would answer him. Tara nodded, never taking her eyes off Spike.

"It's a song that Aunt Rebecca used to sing to us before we went to sleep," she said, tears pricking her eyes. "Every single night… until she…."

Spike shook his head. "Yeah," he took a few deep breaths getting his racing thoughts and emotions under control. "It's just the house trying to mess with me again. It wants me to believe it's really my mom." He took only another minute and shook his head. "Stupid spooks."

"Maybe we should go," Cordelia suggested, hesitantly. "Something is very wrong here." The feeling of unease that had settled upon her as soon as she walked through the door was starting to grow. Something was going to happen. She knew it. She didn't know how she knew, and really didn't want to either. She just knew that she wanted to be somewhere else when it happened. But instead of agreeing with her and trying to find the exit, the group merely flashed her confused looks and walked further into the house. She stomped her foot and huffily followed the others.

"Right I say, 'let's go' and that's code for let's go further into our doom!"

"Glad you're working the code out, princess," Spike called over his shoulder. She rolled her eyes but still couldn't be mad at him for some reason. She was starting to see what Buffy saw in him after all. She glanced at her best friend who had taken advantage of Cordelia's distraction and claimed the spot by Spike's side. And even though it meant she had to walk by Xander Harris, Cordelia let her have it. Who was she to stomp on her best friend's obvious crush?

They continued on in a tense silence everyone more alert now for signs of anything supernatural. Cordelia wrapped her arms around her chest and shuffled along besides Xander. "Thanks," his voice broke through her thoughts and she turned to look at him. She arched an eyebrow indicating he should elaborate. "For not making fun of him back there."

A small part of her hurt that he would think she would make fun of someone in pain. But then again when had she ever given anyone the idea that she wouldn't. After all that's what Queen C did. She sighed. "My mom died when I was four. I barely knew her. Ever since then I've had an array of stepmothers in and out of my life. I don't even bother learning their names anymore. I have them down to numbers. Hurts less when they walk out the door and never call again." She smiled wanly. "So I know how it feels."

Xander looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Instead he gave her a smile of his own and went back to making his shadow puppets. Suddenly the light flickered in his flashlight. He smacked it and frowned as it continued to flicker. He looked to Tara to see if she was having similar problems with hers and found that the girl's flashlight had died completely. As had the one that Spike was carrying. They all looked helplessly to Xander who shrugged just as his light died as well leaving them in the darkness.

"Well this sucks."

"Everyone just stay calm."

"Whose hand is on my ass? Xander!"

"It's not me. I'm not anywhere near you."

"Well if it's not you then who is it?"

"He he, sorry, about that Cordelia. I thought you were Tara."

"I feel so cheap."

"Guys, focus. Are we all here?"

"What you want us to do a role call or something, Buff?"

"Since you suggested it, yeah smart ass. I'm here."

"Well I know little Ms. Cop-a-feel is over there, and I'm here. I'm hoping to god that is Xander's arm I'm holding right now."

"Yes, and by the way, I can no longer feel the left side of my body. Tara? You with us?"

"Yeah. Where's Spike?"

As soon as Tara had asked the question, the lights returned illuminating the group. The first thing they noticed was that there were only two flashlights. Tara's eyes widened as she stared at the empty spot she had last seen her cousin standing. Xander pointed to the spot with wide eyes.

"Spike? This isn't funny, man."

"I didn't hear him walk away," Cordelia added. "We would have heard him if he walked away. And we really would hear him if something dragged him away. But it's like he just disappeared into thin air."

Willow frowned. "People don't just disappear into thin air."

"Tell that to Spike," Tara muttered. "If anyone could learn how to disappear into thin air, it would be Will. He lives to be different."

"Call his cell phone," Buffy suggested, suddenly. "If he's still in here, we'll hear the ringer or at the very least he'll pick up and tell us where he is."

"That's not going to work," Tara shook her head.

"Well if you have any ideas, I'm sure we're all dying to hear them," Buffy snapped defensively.

The older girl smiled in her direction. "No, it's not going to work because I have his phone. Will is not exactly the most responsible guy around. He forgets his phone everywhere he goes. So to make sure that we had some outside contact, I took it."

"Oh," the younger blonde replied. "Alright then, what's next?"

"This," Cordelia said, before taking a deep breath. "Spike! If you're not ghost chow you better speak up now or else!"

Silence was their only answer. "There is no way that he didn't hear that. I'm sure people in the next county heard that."

"_Go away. You can't have him. He belongs to us." _

"Did anyone else hear that?" Willow asked, her eyes darting around the room nervously. The others nodded slowly and moved closer to one another. "Good, I'm not going crazy."

Xander shook his head. "I heard that voice before. Before he went into the house the first time. There was that same creepy voice telling us to go away." He paused. "But it wasn't talking to us, it was talking to me. It wanted me to go away. Oh, man I must be crazy for saying this but, I think the house took Spike."

He expected the four girls to mock him mercilessly, but instead they each sighed heavily. "You don't think I'm crazy?"

"Nope," Willow replied, with a slight frown. "Not unless we all are too. I say we find Spike, one way or another, and get the hell out of here before this house tries to eat us."

"See why I said we should have just left before," Cordelia couldn't help but add snidely as they marched through the house calling the name of their missing friend.

Meanwhile on the other side of the house, Angel wasn't having a much better time. Between the overall creepiness of being inside the house that probably killed his sister that was trying to kill one of his new friends, and Riley and Darla's constant complaining, he was about ready to kill them all himself. But he restrained himself and instead chose to walk slightly ahead of the two blondes with Drusilla, the only member of the small group that wasn't pissing him off.

"Why are we here again, anyway?"

Angel took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder at Darla. "For the fiftieth time, it's because this house clearly wants Spike back. I want to know why. If we figure out what it is about Spike that makes the house go crazy, maybe we can figure out what the deal is with this place."

"It's a house," Riley said. "There is nothing going on here, Angel. You're letting your imagination go wild. Dude, it's just a house."

"If it's just a house, then explain what happened last night. You were there. You heard what we all heard and saw what we all saw. So how can you even begin to say that it's just a house? Something is going on here, and you know it."

"No, what I do know is that you just sent our girlfriends off with the biggest bunch of losers in school in order to chase down some crazed figment of your imagination. Angel, this is stupid and you know it."

Angel stopped short and glared at his soon to be former best friend. "Riley, I'm just going to pretend that you didn't just say that. You know what happened to Faith in this house. And you know what that did to my family. So I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself about this place or I will do more than just break your nose."

Riley met his friend's steely gaze and nodded tersely. Any further conversation was prevented by Drusilla's low moan. She swayed on her feet for a moment before leaning against the wall behind her. "Dru? What's wrong with you now?" Darla asked her annoyance with her cousin's antics evident in her tone.

"It was right here," she whispered. Her eyes snapped up to meet Angel's. "It was right here where it happened. She screamed while the others ran. But the house didn't want them. They weren't special like Faith. The house kept her. Kept her so you would bring him back to his family. Back where he belongs."

"Alright, I give, what the hell are you talking about this time?" Darla snapped.

"Faith," Angel said in a quiet tone. "She's talking about Faith." He knew his sister was somehow still alive but yet at the same time not alive. She was part of the house for whatever reason and he wanted nothing more than to set her free. He took a deep breath and finally turned around ready to move on, both from Dru's words and the corridor they were standing in. It was then that he finally noticed the figure lurking in the shadows. "Whose there?"

Dru whimpered and pressed herself up against the wall. Angel took a protective step in front of her, while Riley and Darla moved to stand against the wall as well. The person who was watching them laughed somewhat and walked out of the shadows to stand before them. Angel's breath caught in his throat as he looked at person who had been missing for two years. Nothing about her had changed in that time. She looked the way she always did, although instead of the usual warm smile she wore, her face was a blank mask.

"I'm hurt, little brother. You really don't remember me?" Faith asked, a slight smirk forming on her lips. He almost wished she would go back to the blank mask.

"How is this possible?" Riley hissed. "Dude, I thought your sister was dead!"

"Oh, I am, Farm Boy," she grinned. "I'm dead, but I'm not. I've been waiting for you for a long time, Liam. Didn't dad ever teach you that it's not nice to keep a girl waiting?"

At the sound of his name, Angel shook off the initial shock of seeing his not so dead stepsister standing before him. "Faith, what happened to you? How can I get you out of here?"

"Who says I want to leave? It's nice here. The Crawford's take really good care of me. They're not so bad."

"Not so bad? This house kills! It killed your friends. How can you say it's not so bad?"

The cold look entered her eyes again. "They only want to complete their family, Liam. You know that feels. All these years that you've been missing me. What wouldn't you give to have me home again with you and dad and your mom? Just like before."

Angel's hand trembled slightly as he listened to her talk. "And what have you given already? You're willing to sacrifice someone just to find out what happened to little old me. I'm touched." Her grin grew wider. "But he's not ready yet. I can tell. They're not happy with him now. But they will be soon and then they'll be a family again. Just like you and me. We could be a family too and live here forever." She moved closer to him. "All you have to do is take my hand."

Despite himself, Angel felt himself reaching for her outstretched hand. It would be so easy to just go with her. He had missed his sister so badly. Their parents' marriage was falling apart more and more everyday since she had been gone. But if he went with Faith now, he wouldn't have to be alone anymore. And obviously, the house wasn't all bad as Faith looked the same as she always had.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," another voice broke him away from the almost trance like state he was in. He looked up to see Cordelia and Willow approaching them. Faith sneered in Willow's direction as the redheaded Wicca got closer. "Trust me, Angel. Whatever she is, that is definitely not your sister anymore."

Faith's eyes narrowed as she took in the two girls and then move her contemptuous glare to all of them. "You think you're saving him? You're only delaying the inevitable. Soon he'll want to come home to his real family and there is nothing you can do to stop it." She turned on her heels and disappeared into the shadows she had come from. Angel's hand fell limply to the side as he stared in the direction she disappeared in.

"Hey, earth to Angel? You okay?" Cordelia asked him, softly. She rested her hand on his shoulder. "You with us, big guy?"

"Yeah," he smiled wanly. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for the save."

"Oh don't thank me, thank Willow," she replied, grinning at him. It was then that Angel noticed there were a few missing people missing from the group. "Uh, would you believe that we, uh, lost Spike?"

"You lost him? How do you loose a teenager?" Riley asked, skeptically. "You sure he didn't just bail on you."

Willow narrowed her eyes. "That's not his way. He would never leave Tara, Xander or me in this place willingly. I doubt he'd leave even you behind. So when we say lost him, we mean lost him."

Angel ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, so you lost Spike, why are Buffy, Tara and Xander missing?"

"They went looking for him. Our job was to find you guys. He could be in here anywhere. Willow thought it would be better for us to cover more ground if we had more people."

"Yeah and Cordy wouldn't go looking for you guys alone," Willow cracked a smile. Cordelia glared at her playfully. "Yeah, yeah, I know. If we had just listened to you the first place we'd be sipping lattes at Starbucks right now."

"Damn skippy, missy! Next time we go into a haunted house, I bet you'll listen to me."

"Cordy," Angel interrupted. "If we can all get out of this alive, trust that we're never going into another haunted house again."

"If you're going to keep associating with Spike, I'm not entirely sure that danger is an unavoidable thing. Trust me, I've known him for half of year and this is the least of his transgressions."

"I'm definitely rethinking this Spike as a friend idea," Angel muttered as they started walking again.

"Oh now, he thinks about it!"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. See you all next week. 


	6. Wanted Dead or Alive

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings**: Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to everyone who read and to those of you that reviewed. Nothing much to say this time around. Sorry for any weird typos, I didn't get a chance to go through this one as carefully as others. So sorry in advance.

* * *

Wanted Dead or Alive

William Giles was a dead man. He knew it just as he knew the sky was blue, the sun would rise and that he was a colossal idiot. Because of all the idiotic moves he had pulled in his life, walking into the house that for reasons unknown wanted you had to be the dumbest. And of course this led him right back to the fact that he was a dead man. If the house didn't get him first, then Tara definitely would, and he hated to see what would happen if Xander got his hands on him.

"I am so dead," he muttered, moving his flashlight around the room he was standing in, chasing away the darkness. It didn't take much rationale to figure out that he wasn't where he was when the lights went off. The first obvious hint was that he was alone. The next was that he was apparently standing in a nursery.

He found himself drawn to the small wooden crib on the far side of the room. The wood was still intact oddly enough and showed none of the decay something that old should have. It looked like it was made just the day before. His fingers traced the intricate wooden patterns. As his fingers moved over the wood, he felt the love that went into the creation of the crib. This child was obviously wanted and loved. Out the corner of his eye he saw an inscription on the headboard of the crib. He moved one of the tiny pillows to the side.

"What the…" he trailed off as he read the words there once again. 'William 1926'.

Spike swallowed backing away from the crib slowly. It had to be a coincidence because it couldn't be true. Could it? Was he somehow really part of the Crawford family? Maybe his father had missed something in his research. But he was pretty sure that he hadn't been born that long ago, so there had to be something else they were missing. Maybe it's just because he resembled this William that they had targeted him. But then what about his mother? He frowned, shaking his head. He decided it would be best to leave theories to Willow and Wesley. They were the smart ones after all.

"I have to get out of here before I go totally insane," he said aloud. In the back of his mind, Spike couldn't help but laugh at his incessant need to talk to himself. His father always said that he talked only to hear the sound of his own voice and at the moment that was exactly what he was doing. "Dad would love to hear me tell him he's right."

The thought of his father gave him enough motivation to move away from the crib altogether and towards what he hoped was the door out of the room. He was halfway to the door when he heard the lullaby again. He stopped in his tracks as the familiar ache formed in his chest. A tear slipped down his cheek but this time there was no Tara to comfort him. He was alone. "Suck it up, Will. It's just the house messing with you. It's not her."

"Oh but it is."

Despite the soothing tones of the song, Spike felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at the sound of the oddly familiar voice. He turned around slowly to find himself face to face with a dead woman. She looked every bit as young and beautiful as she had in his dream. But that didn't change the fact that Elizabeth Crawford was supposed to be dead and last he checked the dead did not walk the earth. Then again this was Sunnydale and if zombies and the whole supernatural like were to exist it would definitely be there. He shook the distracting thoughts away as he continued his staring match with Elizabeth.

"Well aren't you going to say hello?" she said finally, breaking the tense silence in the room.

"What… what do you want?"

"To bring you home," she replied with a wide smile. It was a familiar smile. "I just want to bring you where you belong, William."

"And where is that?"

"Here with your family, silly," she leaned against the crib, still smiling. Her eyes were locked on him and he felt paralyzed by the intensity of her gaze. "We want you to come home to where you belong, to your real family."

"I am with my family," he snapped.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and stood up straight. "Do you really think that man is your real family? He is nothing more than a means to an end. You belong here with us and you will be here with us. This was decided years before you were born."

"Look, I think you have the wrong person here. I'm not your William."

"No, not exactly, but you are the missing piece to the puzzle, so to speak. Admit it, you feel drawn to this place. You find yourself thinking of it constantly. You were drawn here. That's the house calling you home, William. Why do you refuse to see that?"

"Because it's a bloody house! It's not real. None of this is real. It can't be."

Elizabeth tensed noticeably and the air around them grew chilly. "You really are quite stubborn. I didn't think it would be this hard. Why are you fighting it? Admit it, you feel better now that you're here don't you?"

Spike broke their staring game to glance down at the ground. It was true. The minute he had walked through the doors of Crawford Manor he felt at peace. He supposed that should have been his first sign to turn around and never come back, but no one ever accused him of being logical. No, they said he was impulsive and hot headed. Someone logical would have known the idea of entering that house was wrong and should never be acted upon. An impulsive person just wanted to make the longing stop.

"This is your home, William. I know you feel scared and lonely. But I can change that. You can come back to where you belong."

He lifted his eyes to meet hers once again. "I…." he trailed off as he heard the sounds of footsteps in the hallway.

"Spike! Spike, are you up here?"

"Will?"

A smile made its way onto his face as he recognized the owner's of those voices, Buffy and Xander. "William Randall Giles, if you don't get your sorry ass out here right now, I swear to goddess I'm going to kill you."

"Tara," he smiled a little wider. His not so friendly ghost went forgotten as he rushed to the door. "I'm in here." He pulled on the doorknob only to find that it was locked. "Guys! I'm in here!"

"Spike? Is that you?"

"No, whelp, it's someone else who sounds like me and has my name!" he snapped irritably. "It's me. Now get me out of here."

"And the reason you can't get out yourself is?"

Spike rolled his eyes. Some days he really questioned his friendship with Xander. "Because the door is locked or something. Listen, just hurry up and get me out of here, alright?"

"Will, sweetheart, are you alright?"

Spike closed his eyes leaning against the door partially. "Yeah, Glenda, I'm alright."

"Good because as soon as we get you out of here, I'm so going to kick your ass."

"Don't do this, William."

Spike froze. He had forgotten all about Elizabeth but now she had his full attention again. "Spike, who was that?"

"William, this is where you belong, not with them."

"Yeah, well, I think I'll pass. Thanks for the offer and all."

Elizabeth frowned for a fleeting second before the same smug smile formed on her lips again. "What about your mother?"

He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "That is not my mother. I know it's just you and this place trying to mess with my head."

"You saw her in your dream, William. That wasn't me. I don't have that kind of power. She is here because this is where you belong. Are you really willing to give up a chance to be with your mother once again? I thought you would do anything to be with her. You were willing to die to be with her. So what's changed? If you just take my hand, I can take you to her again and no one will ever be able to take her away."

"Will? What's going on in there?"

"Spike, whoever is in there with you is not someone you should be listening to."

He heard them pounding on the door, but he just couldn't respond. He remembered the image of his mother in his dream vividly. There was no doubt in his mind that she was his mother. She looked exactly as she had before she died. It was her and Elizabeth was offering him a chance to see her again. He stared at her outstretched hand. All he had to do was take her hand. It's not like he was selling his soul to the house or something. He was just tired and all he wanted was his mother. What was so wrong with that?

Spike walked away from the door towards Elizabeth almost as if in a daze. Everything else went forgotten as he stared at the pale hand being extended his way. He just wanted all his pain and loneliness to end. It all would if he just took her hand. Just as he was mere inches away from his goal, the pounding on the door ceased. Before either he or Elizabeth could register the fact, the door was flying off its hinges towards the wall behind them both.

"….the hell?"

"Spike, what the hell were you about to do?"

"I…."

"Were you about to take the dead creepy chick's hand?" Xander asked, accusingly. For some reason hearing his friend adopt that tone made him feel a little ashamed. He shrugged and ducked his head.

"Uh, guys, how about we have this conversation later," Buffy suggested. "Later as in not right here, right now."

"That's a great idea. Come on, Will. We're going home," Tara latched onto her cousin's wrist and started pulling him towards the doorway. She turned around just in time to see Elizabeth standing before her. "Oh crap."

"He doesn't belong with you. He belongs here. He belongs with us."

"I'm sorry but I think his father might have a problem with that," Tara replied. "And if he doesn't, then I do. Now get out of the way."

"Or you'll what?"

Tara blinked, licking her lips for a second. "I'll do something. Just give a girl a minute to think."

Spike glanced up and met Elizabeth's steady gaze. The woman seemed to be searching for something in his eyes and he couldn't tear his gaze away. Finally, she found whatever it was that she was looking for and a smile touched her lips. She then stepped to the side allowing the four teens to leave the room.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Tara and Xander dragged their dazed friend out the room. It was only because Buffy lingered behind a second longer that Elizabeth's comment was even heard. The woman melted into the shadows but not before confirming what she had already suspected: sooner or later, Spike would go back into Crawford and none of them would be strong enough to pull him out. The words sent chills down her spine and she rushed out the room to catch up with the others.

She caught sight of them further down the corridor she had entered, leaning against a wall breathlessly. She jogged over to them and put a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Are you alright?" he nodded. "Good. What the hell were you thinking?"

Spike shrugged. "I really don't know anymore." He saw the looks being exchanged by the trio and sighed. He stood up straight and stretched. "By the way, thanks for the very dramatic rescue. But did you really need to kick the door in, whelp?"

"Wasn't me. That was all Buffy right there."

The girl in question blushed slightly and shot Xander a dirty look. Spike's false smirk turned genuine as he looked at the cheerleader. "You killed a door for me?"

"Yeah, well it was an ugly door anyway," she said, trying in vain to hide the red that was blossoming across her face.

"Buffy, the door slayer," Xander quipped. "Has a nice ring to it. You should look into this as a lifetime career choice. You could kill every unfashionable door in Sunnydale."

Buffy cocked her head to the side. "Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?" she asked, teasingly.

"I do, everyday, but he never listens."

Tara snorted softly, running a hand through her hair. "Look who's talking. You're the king of annoying. How Wes and I put up with you is beyond my level of understanding."

"It's the eyes," Xander and Buffy replied in unison, earning twin looks of confusion from the two cousins.

"Right, so anyone else in favor of getting the hell out of here?"

Before any of them could reply they heard footsteps behind them. The teens whirled around ready for another confrontation, only to find the Fang Gang and Willow standing there. At the sight of their no longer missing friend, Willow visibly relaxed and walked over to join them.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, Red. I'm fine. I….. Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?"

"The next time you decide you want to disappear in a haunted house, don't!" she hissed, smacking him on the head once more. "Now, anyone know which way the exit is?"

Xander arched an eyebrow. "I know you've been hanging with the Fangs for a bit, but I didn't think it would affect your IQ this fast. Willow, the exit is in the same direction we came in from."

Willow narrowed her eyes and was about to say something more when Spike stepped between them. "Ignore him."

"We tried going that way and it didn't work," Cordelia replied. "The house, everything is different. It's like its changing."

"Its keeping him here like a little bird."

"And let's hear from the Freak Gallery now," Darla muttered, glaring in Drusilla's direction.

Angel gave her a dark look before switching his attention to the psychic. "What do you mean? Who's keeping who?"

"The house. It's keeping him here where he belongs. But he's not ready yet, so they're letting him go."

"Once more in English," Riley snapped.

"It means we can go," Spike answered quietly. "Its letting me go for now."

His friends exchanged looks but decided to put it off for now. It was getting late and by now it would glaringly obvious to their parents that they were doing something wrong. By now even Giles would be suspicious. The group set off in search of the exit. It didn't take long as the house seemed almost to be leading them there. For some reason this didn't serve to ease anyone's mind. By the time they reached the front door, they were even more on edge than before.

"I can't wait to get home," Xander sighed as they stepped onto the steps outside the door. "I don't know how much more I can take tonight."

"Care to take a guess?"

The forward motion of most of the teens was halted at the sound of the voice. Willow, Tara, Spike and Xander exchanged hesitant glances. "You heard that, right?"

"Sounded a lot like Wesley."

"That would be because it was Wesley and he's not alone."

"Oh, we are," Xander started as they turned around.

"So screwed," Spike finished, forcing what he hoped was a sincere and innocent smile onto his face. "Hey dad."

Giles crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Spike dropped the smile. "I'm a dead man."


	7. A Modern Myth

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes**: I apologize for the lateness in this chapter. I could get into all of the details as to what's been going on but I'm not trying to depress anyone. Suffice to say that there has been a lot of tragedy and drama going on in my life as of late and it's really killed my inspiration to write. I'm slowly getting myself out of the depressive funk that I've been in and I'm writing. However, it's a slow process. Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, it's a little uneven in some parts and for that I apologize. Sorry to any Darla or Riley fans as this chapter doesn't portray them in the best of lights… like the story did in the first place. Oh well, hope you enjoy. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed. It means a great deal to me. Thank you.

------

A Modern Myth

Cordelia couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief as she found herself outside the doors of Crawford Manor for the second time that evening. She shivered involuntarily as she looked up at the looming building. "One of you two want to explain to me what we're doing here after we spent the better part of our night trying to get out?" her eyes flickered over to the pair standing beside her. "And why Buffy, Angel and Dru get to sit this one out."

"They're getting soft, and Dru pisses me off," Darla replied, tartly. "If you're going to keep whining about this, you can go home. No one is forcing you to be here."

Cordelia opened her mouth about to reply when Riley stepped between the two girls. "Cordy, we're not going to be in there that long. We're just going to go in there and prove once and for all that there is nothing going on in there."

"But what if there is? You were there tonight. You saw the house changing itself to let us out. How can you still think that there is nothing going on in there? And you said it yourself, you saw Faith."

"Right that just proves that Faith has been hiding out here all these years. If we can get in there and reason with her, maybe Angel will just drop all this nonsense and things can get back to normal."

Cordelia ran a hand through her hair. "So basically we're doing this because you're jealous of the fact that Spike is moving in on your territory as best friend?"

Darla huffed. "Are we going to stand here all night while you two bicker or can we just go in and get it over with?"

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Good, then keep the car warm," Darla smirked, tossing her keys at the brunette. "Riley, you in or what?"

"Let's do this." Riley leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on Cordelia's cheek. "We'll be back, babe. Just relax."

"I hate it when you call me babe," Cordelia hissed. Riley merely smiled and backed away from her. He spun on his heels and joined Darla at the door. Cordelia huffed as the two disappeared into the house. This was a stupid idea and she knew it. This was the type of stuff they normally did. They were mean, catty and didn't take no for an answer. So why suddenly was she feeling guilty about it?

"Oh just suck it up, Chase," she muttered to herself. She started pacing to and fro. "It's all just your mind playing tricks on you. Everything is perfectly fine." She continued to pace and mumble to herself reassured by the constant sound. She glanced at her watch periodically. It was entirely too early in the morning for her to be awake, much less standing outside a house that she knew was haunted. The air around her grew chillier and she clutched her light jacket tighter around her body. "You're fine, Cordelia. Everything is alright."

"_Help me." _

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the whispered voice. "It's alright, Cordy. You're going to turn around and there's going to be nothing there. Everything is fine. You're fine. Now stop talking to yourself and turn around."

Cordelia turned around slowly, dreading what she would find behind her. She let out a sigh of relief as she found nothing. "Just my imagination playing tricks on me." She turned around to face the house again and found herself face to face with a woman. "Or not." The cheerleader began to backpedal away from the ghostly figure before her. The woman reached out a hand to her.

"Help me."

"Help you? Help me!" Cordelia snapped. She turned around ready to bolt when the woman was in her face again. "You seriously need to stop doing that!"

"Please, you must help me."

"Lady, you're dead. That's a little beyond the scope of my abilities," the cheerleader retorted, moving past her and back towards the car.

"You have questions. I have some answers."

Cordelia's forward march to the car halted. She turned around slowly to see that the woman was still in the same place she had left her. At least she was grasping the concept of personal space. "What do you mean, you have some answers? You know why the house wants Spike? And why it's haunted?"

"The answer to both questions is the same."

The cheerleader sighed. A month ago she would have blown this off, gotten into the car and waited with the radio blasting for Riley and Darla to come back. But that was a month ago. Now for some unknown reason she was actually contemplating assisting the ghost. The next time she saw Spike she was going to slap him. Or better yet, slap Xander. It conveyed the same message and had less chance of pissing off Angel.

"Are you going to help me?"

Cordelia shook her rambling train of thoughts off to stare at the ghost. There was something familiar about her, but she just couldn't place it. Finally after the staring match to end all staring matches, she sighed and nodded her head. "What is it that you need me to do?"

"I need you to show them the truth. Inside the house there is a journal. That journal has all the answers to the questions you seek. The journal says what really happened here and will help free all the souls trapped here."

"And Spike. Will the house let go then?"

The woman's face darkened and her expression became unreadable. It was only through her eyes that Cordelia knew she was sad. "I can only hope so." Cordelia bit her lip looking between the house and the ghost.

"I'll help you," she replied finally. "Where is the journal?"

A wide smile broke out across her companion's face and Cordelia was once again struck by the familiarity of it. "The journal is inside the house in the parlor. She's probably hidden it since she knows that I want it found."

"Who is she?"

Another frown. "My daughter, Elizabeth."

"Whoa, you're Rebecca Crawford?"

"That was once my name, yes," a soft smile appeared on her face. "But I had another name. One that meant a great deal to me. One that I have to protect before this house consumes it. So you must get into the house and get the journal. Take it to Rupert, he will know what do."

"Why me though? Why not Darla or Riley? They just went in there. And how do you know about Mr. Giles?"

"I know a lot of things. But most importantly, I know that your two friends are selfish and arrogant. They seek the truth to fit their needs. Crawford Manor does not take trespassers lightly. I will try and block you and your friends for as long as possible, but you must hurry. There is only so long that even I can hide you from her."

Cordelia nodded. She started to walk away when another question came to mind. She turned around and saw that Rebecca was gone. The cheerleader shook her head. "I'm going to slap both Xander and Spike. Buffy be damned."

--------

Giles stood in the doorway of his son's room watching his offspring stare up at the ceiling. True, it was not the most enjoyable activity he had ever engaged in, but neither was yelling at him or punishing him. Both of which he was sorely tempted to do. And he would have been in the right too. Spike had lied to him. He went back in that house after he specifically told him not to. And he had promised. Well of course he found a loophole in that promise but the fact was he told him to do something and as usual Spike did the opposite. So he was angry. Very angry. And scared out of his mind.

"Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to ground me?" Spike's voice dragged him out of his thoughts. The boy was still lying on his back with his eyes focused on the ceiling.

"Sometimes I don't know whether I want to hug you or hit you," Giles replied honestly. "Right now is one of those times. I want to hit you for being stupid enough to go back into that house. And I want to hug you and never let you go."

Spike's eyes flickered briefly to his father before looking up at the ceiling. "Are you sure there were no other children in the Crawford family tree?"

Giles arched an eyebrow entering the room. "There were only four. None of them ever had any children as they all died young, with the exception being Elizabeth."

Spike shivered but said nothing for another moment. "When did their mother die?"

"I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"Please, just answer the question."

"1926."

Spike nodded and kept staring at his ceiling. "Does it say how?"

"It actually doesn't. Rebecca Crawford is the only member of the family aside from Elizabeth that lacks information regarding her death."

"Did you ever notice how Rebecca Crawford has the same name as mom? Have you found any pictures of her?"

"No," Giles replied, frowning. "Spike…Will, what is going on with you?"

His son sat up slowly and finally met his father's eyes for more than a brief second. "Nothing. Just thinking things through."

Giles closed the remaining distance between him and his child and sat beside him. "You're telling me the truth, right?"

"As much as I can, yes. There are some things that I just don't understand myself," Spike sighed. "I'm sorry I went back there. I didn't do it just to piss you off. I just needed to…"

"To what?"

"Make it stop. Make this feeling go away. I feel like I'm going crazy. I don't know who I am anymore and I just wanted to make that go away."

Giles put a hand on his shoulder. "And did it?"

"Yes," Spike whispered, as if he were ashamed. "It did. I felt like I was home. And that's wrong because this is home. You are home. Not the house of the dead. But I felt at peace there. I'm sorry."

"Oh, William," Giles pulled his son closer. "You can hardly blame yourself for any of this. Something is going on and it's not necessarily something either of us can control. But I promise you, I will get to the bottom of this. You're not going anywhere. I promise."

His son nodded tiredly and sighed. "You know if we keep having these mushy moments we're going to have to officially hand over our manhood."

"Nice," his father shook his head. "Now get some sleep. It would be nice if you went to school at least once this week not looking like the living dead."

"But I heard pale was in this season. All the emo kids are doing it."

"For the sake of holding at least a smidgen of respect for you, I'll just pretend you didn't say that."

"Gee, thanks." Giles smiled and started walking towards the door. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. You know that, right?"

Giles smiled and turned around to face his son. "I know. I love you, too. Oh and by the way, you're grounded."

"I love you a little less right now."

"I thought you would." He backed out of the room after one last dirty look was thrown his way. As he headed to his office he caught Wesley hiding behind a couch while Tara flung pillows at him. "Do I even need to ask?"

Tara turned around and huffed. "Nothing to see here. Just go on about your merry way, Uncle G."

"I told you not to call me that," he warned, only half seriously. "So why are you trying to kill Wesley, this time?"

"Because he broke rule number three."

"Which is?"

"Never get parents involved unless jail time is being seriously considered," Tara replied crossing her arms over chest. Giles blinked in disbelief. He had a pretty good idea as to who had come up with that particular little rule. He shook his head and left Tara and Wesley to solve their own problems. He was definitely getting too old for this.

---------

"Alright, if you were a journal hidden in an old, creepy, haunted house, where would you be?"

Cordelia paused to consider her own question. "My life is not like others. I'm going to slap Spike, Xander and Angel." Satisfied with this plan, she continued to venture further into the house. She clutched the flashlight she held tightly. The good news was that it was that the sun was rising, so it wasn't quite as dark as it was earlier that morning. The bad news it that the sun was coming up which mean that she had to be at school soon and she had no journal and no clue where either Riley or Darla were.

"Okay, can you give me a hint at least? I don't know. Send a little scary wind my way or something? I can't play 'Raiders of the lost house' much longer. I have a test in third period!" she huffed, waiting impatiently for a sign she knew would never come. "Great, just freaking great."

"Looking for something?"

Cordelia froze at the sound of the voice. "Rebecca?"

"Guess again."

"Darla?" she ventured weakly.

"You wish."

Cordelia took a deep breath and turned around to face the newcomer. "Actually, no I don't. You of all people should know that, Faith."

"So do you remember me," she said in a mocking tone. "I'm touched."

"You're dead."

Faith sighed. "I've already been through this enough tonight. I'm not dead. I'm standing here talking to you, aren't I?"

"Yeah well I just had a conversation with the matriarchal Casper outside, so I really can't be expected to keep straight who the living impaired might be."

"Still the same old Queen C, huh? Which makes me wonder what you're doing here? It can't be because of your feelings of friendship with William or any of the others. And I seriously doubt that you would do it just because Buffy told you to. No, I think there is something more."

"Doesn't matter what you think," Cordelia snapped. "Now go away, disappear or flicker, whatever it is you do. I have worked to do and you and your little ghostly buddies aren't going to stop me."

Faith's grin grew wider. "What makes you think we want to stop you?"

"Huh?"

"There is no harm in Spike finding the journal. He's already had a taste of the peace he can only get from here. It's not going to get better for him ignoring the pull he feels. It's only going to get worse until he goes mad. Now I don't know about you, but I really don't want that to happen. Neither does the family. But we also know he won't come back until he knows the truth. So here."

Cordelia took a step back as Faith pulled something seemingly out of thin air and handed it to her. Her eyes widened as she took in the leather clad tome in her former friend's hand. "Is that…."

"The journal of one Elizabeth Crawford. And let me tell you, C, its one hell of a read."

Cordelia took the book hesitantly, flinching as her hand brushed against Faith's cold hands. The jolt was so strong that she dropped the book. She bent over to pick it up and found that some pictures had fallen out. Curiosity peaked, she picked the pictures up and sorted through them. The top picture was of a younger looking Rebecca Crawford and her husband, Michael Crawford. Then there were a few pictures of the parents with their four children. But the one that caught her attention was one of a very pregnant Rebecca surrounded by her four children. Then another of a baby with the four children standing around. She turned it over and read the back.

"William 1926… what…. She had another child?" she looked up to find Faith was gone. "Now she takes my advice." Cordelia swept the pictures back into the journal and shoved the book into her bag. A quick glance at her watch showed that she had been in the house for close to an hour and had yet to run into anyone with an actual pulse. "Where the hell did those two go anyway?"

"Lost something?"

She turned around with a gasp to see Faith standing next to her. "Can you not do that? Please?"

"Sorry, C," she smirked. "Force of habit. So what's the little girl lost look for? You got what you came in here for, right?"

"Yes and no. yes, I got the stupid journal. But now I'm missing Riley and Darla. You didn't happen to kill…. I mean see them, did you?" Cordelia asked, with a sugary tone that Faith knew to be mocking. It was amazing how easy it was to fall into their old habits.

Faith's face went first from annoyed to sad. "Maybe you should just go, Cordy. There is only so long that those that live here are going to tolerate your presence. You got what you needed, now go."

"Not without Riley and Darla."

"Why do you care about either one of them? I thought you couldn't stand Darla."

It was Cordelia's turn to smirk now. "I can't, but Angel would have a fit if he knew I just left them in here. Not to mention Riley is my boyfriend."

"Since when?"

"Since a little after you… disappeared. Now where are they?"

"I really mean it, Cordelia. You should just forget about them and go. They found their way in here and they can find their way out."

Cordelia stopped walking and turned to face her former friend. "What are you trying to hide from me? They're not already dead are they?"

"Would that make you leave?"

"No, because I would want to see the bodies and you know it. So take me to them, now."

Faith gave her a long suffering sigh and motioned with her hand for the cheerleader to follow. She led her down a hall that Cordelia had already come from. Just as she was about to mention this to her tour guide, Faith beat her to chase. "The house changes at will. When Spike walked through those doors he woke it up. Nothing is ever the same in here." Cordelia nodded. Finally, they stopped in front of a doorway. "C, are you sure you don't want to just leave?"

"Thanks for you help with the journal," Cordelia said, already walking away. "I'll tell Angel."

Faith nodded her head once and returned to the shadows. Cordelia stood in the hall watching the place where she had disappeared from with a pang of regret. "It shouldn't be this way," she whispered. Shaking her head clear of the dark thoughts, she remembered Rebecca and Faith's warnings. The house would only tolerate them so long. And she wasn't really in the mood to find out how long that was. So with that in mind she opened the door to the room already addressing the not so missing pair.

"There you guys are, you would not believe what I've been through," she paused as she saw them pull away from one another. "Were you just kissing her?"

"Cordy, it's not what it looks like," Riley said, pushing Darla further away.

Cordelia shook her head in disbelief. "You really are just a wannabe Angel. You feed off his castoffs. First me, now Darla, who's next Buffy? Oh that's right. She wouldn't give you the time of day so that's why you went after me. Don't look so shocked, Riley. I always knew I wasn't your first choice. But for some damn reason you were mine. I cannot believe I wasted so much time with you!"

"Baby, like I said it's not what it looks like."

"Don't lie to her. It's about time she got clued in anyway," Darla smirked. "Your boyfriend has been sleeping with me for the past two months. Although, it's been a little less sleeping and a lot more…."

"Hey, if I wanted details from the skank gallery, I would have asked," Cordelia cut her off. She turned her attention back to Riley. "You're pathetic. You know that? I loved you. I thought that was enough. But apparently I was wrong. I hope you enjoy being with Darla and half of the football team. With any luck, she gives you syphilis!"

"Cordy, baby, wait!"

Cordelia paused in the doorway of the room and turned around to face Riley. He smiled at her and walked closer. "Baby, we can make this work. I'm sorry."

She shook her head before punching him in the stomach. "I told you I hate it when you call me baby. Enjoy your walk back home. See you in fourth period. I'd leave really soon if I were you two. The house might decide to eat you!" With that said she spun on her heels and stormed out the room. As she walked she noticed that the house was changing and it was pointing her towards the exit. She knew without really being sure how that Faith was somehow protecting her. As she walked out of the house, she paused staring at its imposing figure.

"Somehow, Faith, we will set you free. Whether you want it or not." She clutched her bag tighter, got into Darla's car and drove away, never looking back once.

------

"I can't believe that little bitch actually left with my car!" Darla spat out, turning away from the window.

"What did you expect she would do if she found out? And for that matter, how the hell did she get in the house anyway?"

"It's your own fault, farm boy. Bringing your girlfriend along while you planned on hooking up with me. Not the smartest of moves."

"She was asking questions. I couldn't leave her," Riley ran a hand through his hair. "Now what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Darla rolled her eyes and turned back to the window. "What else do you think we're going to do? We're going to walk back to town because your precious girlfriend just ditched us. And don't even think that Angel is going to come get us. He'd have a heart attack if he knew we were in here. Fluffy is out because she's probably already consoling poor heartbroken Corny. That is if she isn't too busy macking on Spike."

"Don't call her that," Riley growled. "Her name is Cordelia."

"Oh sure, now you respect her. Get over it. She's dumped you. It's you own fault. You really thought she wouldn't find us in here?"

Riley sighed again. "There was no way she could sneak up on us like that. We would have heard her. There is no way she should have been able to find us."

"Unless the house wanted her to."

"Cute, Darla. We're stranded in this rat hole of house and on top of that my girlfriend just dumped me and somehow this means you should joke around."

Darla glared at him out the corner of her eye. "I didn't say anything, White Bread."

The football player arched an eyebrow. "If you didn't then who did?"

"I did," they both turned to see a young woman enter the room. She had long brown hair that was curled to perfection around her shoulders. She had a very familiar smile on her face as she leaned against the doorframe. Her brown eyes glittering with amusement and merriment from above the sharp planes of her cheeks. "You've both been very naughty," she drawled, leaning against the doorframe. "Very naughty indeed."

"Oh yeah," Darla challenged, climbing to her feet. She put her hands on her hip and smirked. "What's it to you? And how did you get in here anyway?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "How did I get in here? The real question is how you got in here! You don't belong!"

"Oh and you do? What are you some kind of loon that follows people into 'haunted' mansions?"

"Who says this place isn't haunted?" the girl asked teasingly.

Riley scoffed at this. "Ghosts aren't real."

"Oh too right you are about one thing. This house isn't haunted. That would be to imply that the beings that dwell in here are dead," she moved further into the room prompting them both to step back. "You've both very naughty disrupting my plans. My plans for a happy family. And now you get to see that there are worse things than just death. Now you get to see what this house can really do."

While she had been speaking, her eyes were shifting from their teasing brown to an unnatural black coloring. Her wide smile grew even wider until it was as unnatural and ghoulish as her eyes.

"Oh my god," Riley whispered. Darla inched closer to him holding on to his arm for support. "What did we do? Just let us go."

"No one hurts William. Not after everything I've sacrificed to make this happen. Not after the decades I've waited for this moment. I will not have two idiot excuses of humanity ruin my plan."

"We're sorry," Darla pleaded. "Just please let us go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, love. You wanted to find out what happened to Faith. Well, you're about to find out."

Their pleading fell on deaf ears as the woman moved further into the room. Unnoticed just outside the door, Faith winced at the sounds of terrified screaming. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. Finally, after what seemed like hours the tortured screams ended. She opened her eyes to find the woman standing before her.

"Faith."

"Elizabeth," she returned. "Riley and Darla… are they….."

"They are no longer a concern," Elizabeth smiled grimly. "Once William reads the truth about who he is, what he is, the pull he feels will be undeniable. He'll come to us and then the circle will be complete. And then we'll show Sunnydale a hell of a good time."

--------

So this chapter got a little more into what the deal is with Spike. By now I think you all have theories and it might be glaringly obvious after this chapter. So I hope you all enjoyed. Sorry again for the lateness in getting this chapter up. I can't promise when the next one will be up. I'll be writing as the inspiration comes but don't worry I will be finishing this story. I just ask you guys to stick with it and with me. I promise this story will have a conclusion. Thanks again.


	8. Welcome to the Hellmouth

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Here is the long awaited update to the story. I'm sorry that it's been so long. I lost my inspiration for awhile there. It's been a slow journey but I'm getting back in the flow of things. I've got the next chapter pretty much completed and the whole story is mapped out until the last chapter. So updates should be quicker. It's pretty much another four chapters after this. So I hope everyone enjoys. I'm also a little surprised that no one seems terribly broken up over Riley and Darla, but only a little, lol. Enjoy.

* * *

Pale skin, blackish rings around his eyes, tired, dull, washed out look in normally vibrant blue eyes and the almost permanent frown that was marring his face. Yeah, it was official. Spike looked and more than likely felt like crap. And while it gave him a mild sense of satisfaction knowing that he safely could say he looked better than his best friend for the first time since they met, Xander really didn't like the way his friend seemed to be walking almost as if in a daze. He had barely taken any notice to the hand that was gently holding his elbow and leading him through the packed hallways. A quick check to Spike's other side told him that Fred was also just as concerned.

"I don't know why you just had to go back into that house," Fred muttered, shaking her head. "And look what it's got you. You look like you got even less sleep than normal and now you guys have even more questions than when you went in the first time. And speaking of that, why was I not invited…..again?"

Xander couldn't help the smile. "We tell you that we spent the greater portion of the evening trying to get out of the house and you're upset because you weren't invited. Consider yourself lucky. All of us are probably marked for death now."

"Oh goody, I get to live while all my friends die," Fred said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "It's not fair. I always get left of out stuff."

A hoarse laugh drew their attention to the pale figure between them. "I promise next time we'll bring you, pet."

"Next time? Spike, I know you're more than a little out of it at the moment but you're completely insane if you think that we're going back in there."

"Why not?"

"In case you really have lost all of your mind, you're so out of it I'm practically holding your hand just to keep you moving. So at what point in time did going back into that house seem like it was a possibility."

A ghost of a smirk crossed over his best friend's lips, and Xander felt oddly relieved. For a moment anyway. And then he remembered just why it was better to be the one sharing the smirk instead of the one receiving. "Oh that? Well I figured I'd let you. You've been so lonely since the whole bust up with Anya. Everyone needs a little loving, Xander."

Fred snickered and grinned at her two friends. Xander's jaw dropped slightly but she noticed he still didn't remove his hand. Which was just as well because despite his joking manner, she was pretty sure that Xander's hand was really the only thing keeping Spike up. It seemed he knew that too as he made no further comment about the arm once they reached their destination.

"William?" the trio turned to see their homeroom teacher looking at him with a mild sense of fear. He sighed slightly and pushed Xander away. "Are you sure you should be in school today? You don't look so hot."

"I'm always hot, Ms. Calendar. I've heard it runs in the family."

The computer teacher blushed furiously before nodding her head. "Yes, well, that might be true, but you sure you don't want a pass to the nurse's office?"

"I'm sure. I'm fine. I've got my boyfriend over here. He'll take care of me," Spike jerked a thumb in a beyond annoyed Xander's direction. The brunette walked to his seat muttering about ungrateful jerk best friends. Fred and Spike joined him a minute later. Spike propped his elbows up on the desk and rested his head on his hands. Just as Fred was about to prevail to the common sense she knew was buried under layers of bravado and nonsense, the sound of bickering entered the room.

"I'm just saying that leaving them was a bit harsh, Cordy."

"He was cheating on me! With the walking S.T.D!"

Silence fell over the homeroom as all eyes landed on the newly arrived Cordelia and Buffy. The two girls grinned sheepishly and slid into the desks beside Xander and Spike. "You two sure know how to make an entrance," Spike commented, drolly. He saw Buffy opening her mouth and held up a hand. "And yes, before you ask, I'm quite alright."

"Which in the real world means you haven't slept and you feel like crap, right?" Cordelia asked, arching an eyebrow. He gave her a look before resting his head in the desk. The cheerleader shook her head and paused thoughtfully. "You know I never realized before all this started that we were all in the same homeroom. At least some good has come out of this."

"Queen C likes hanging out with those of a lower social class," Xander put his hand over his heart in mock surprise. "Stop the presses or better yet call a doctor because clearly she's lost her mind."

Cordelia rolled her eyes but still smiled. She turned to Fred. "How do you put up with them?"

"It helps that they're cute," Fred grinned. "Its amazing how much you can put up with when it's coming from the mouths of cute boys."

"Oh Cordy knows all about that," Buffy chimed in "Look at her and Riley."

"Ugh, can we not look at the mistake that was me and Riley? I can't believe I wasted so much time on him."

"I can't believe you went back to that house with him."

Fred and Xander both sat up noticeably. "You went back to the house? After we spent pretty much all night trying to get out. You guys really went back in?"

"And again no one called me!"

Cordelia ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Look, alright, it was stupid. I know. I tried to talk them out of it. But on the bright side, I learned a few things last night."

"Oh really. Please tell me what you possibly could have learned," Buffy said, sarcastically. Her best friend pointed a finger in her direction but continued on.

"Well, I learned that Midwestern people, especially from Iowa, suck. Darla is a dirty skank. And, oh yeah, Rebecca Crawford did have another child."

A stunned silence fell over the gathered teens. "Huh?"

"That's all I get? A huh? I have girl talk with a ghost and all I get huh."

"What? You talked with a ghost? Somehow I get the feeling that I only got the Cliff Note's version of last night."

"You did," Cordelia grinned. "And here is the even more abridged version. Riley and Darla wanted to snoop around the house. I didn't. Stuck around outside and got a friendly visit from Rebecca Crawford herself. She went on about having two names and having to protect them, whatever that meant. She then told me to find the journal and give it to Mr. Giles."

"A journal?"

Cordelia nodded and pulled the book out of her bag. She handed it to Fred, who was immediately drawn to the pictures inside. "Is this her? Is this Rebecca?"

"Yeah. That's was her. Of course she looks a lot more alive in that picture." Buffy swatted her on the head. "What? She was!"

Grinning, Fred passed the picture of the youngest Crawford child with his siblings to Xander. The brunette stared first at the child and then flipped it over to read in words written on the back. "William… 1926." He paused, turning to regard his far too silent best friend. "Wasn't that the year that Rebecca died?"

"Yeah," Spike whispered, suddenly finding the wood grain on the table to be fascinating. "Yeah, it was.

"She was beautiful," Fred said, lifting a picture of Rebecca. There was a murmur of agreement as the picture exchanged hands.

Finally it landed on Spike's desk. He closed his eyes and drew the picture nearer. He had a feeling that when he opened his eyes everything was going to change. One part of the mystery would be solved but he didn't know if it would be worth it just to know. He both dreaded and longed for the answer to the question. He knew without looking that the others were watching him, so he took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. A strangled gasp escaped his throat as he recognized the woman.

"Spike, what's wrong?" he heard Xander calling to him but it sounded like he was miles away. But that was impossible seeing as how his friend hadn't moved more than ten inches from his side all morning. Spike lifted his gaze from the picture but instead of his friends he found the woman from the picture standing in front of him.

"It can't be… "

Rebecca held her hands to him but he was too far away to touch her and he felt like he was pinned to his seat. The simple white nightgown she wore was torn and bloodied. Her features were twisted into a grimace of pain and remorse. Her hair was loose and blowing in the inexplicable breeze. He looked around and found that instead of the classroom, he was standing in front of Crawford Manor. He shuddered and looked back to the thus far silent woman.

"Who are you?"

Even from the distance, he could make out the tear that tracked down her face. "I am so sorry, my darling boy."

"I don't understand," he yelled. "What the hell is going on?"

"Its funny you should mention hell." He whirled around and once again the scenery changed, although he much preferred his last location to this. It seemed like he was in some sort of cavern. Monstrous creatures surrounded him, yet stayed away out of some sort of awed respect. It was dark, yet hot. Heat attributed to the pool of lava that seemed to surround the rocky ground he stood on. His eyes sought out the source of the voice and his found that he was standing before Elizabeth Crawford for the second time in way too short a time frame for him to be comfortable.

The woman smiled as his eyes flickered from their surroundings to her face. "Welcome home, William."

His eyes widened. "No, this is not my home."

"Oh but it is," Elizabeth cooed. "This is what I have waited almost a century for. This is what you were born for. Welcome to your destiny, William. Welcome to the Hellmouth."

"No," he whispered, though he felt like screaming. "No… my father…"

"Is only a means to an end," she smiled calmly. "He is unimportant in the bigger picture, dearest little one. You'll get it eventually. And your 'father' is going to be first one down."

Spike felt the panic and nausea growing in him as images passed through his mind. Images of death and horror with his friends and family in the starring roles. Tears leaked out the corners of his eyes as saw the fate awaiting each of his friends once the Hellmouth was opened. He didn't need her to explain it, he knew it instinctually. "Please," he whispered hoarsely. "Don't do this."

Elizabeth stepped closer to him and he found that he couldn't work up the energy to move away. She put a finger under his chin forcing him to meet her eyes. "It's already been done, William. The second you stepped foot in this town, the Hellmouth woke up. And soon the pull you'll feel will bring you home where you belong and it will be opened once and for all."

He pulled away from her, shaking his head. "Shut up! Just shut up! It's not true. Just shut up!" he fell to the ground and drew his legs up to his chest. He rested his head on his upraised knees and rocked back and forth, muttering quietly to himself. He clamped his eyes shut not wanting to see anything more. "No, not true. Not true." And that's when the voices came back.

"Spike!"

"Come on, Spike, time to wake up."

"Will, stop being such a damn drama queen!"

The third voice was closer. Almost close enough to reach and so he did. He was surprised when he felt a warm hand grasp his. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring into a trio of concerned faces. Feeling suddenly crowded by the faces of people he had seen being mutilated and tortured only seconds before, he tried to back away from them. However, his escape route was blocked by the wall behind him. His eyes darted around the room frantically. He was sitting on the floor, with Buffy, Cordelia and Xander kneeling before him. A bewildered look crossed his face and he looked to Xander, whose hand he was still attached to. His friend seemed to pick up the silent question.

"You freaked out," he finally replied after several moments of hesitation. "You fell out of your seat and kind of scrambled back here. We've been trying to snap you out of it for the past few minutes."

"Only a few minutes?" Spike mumbled, releasing Xander's hand and running it through his hair nervously. That wasn't right. It felt like hours. He shuddered, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he noticed the distinct lack of a fourth person. "Where is Fred?"

"She went to get your dad," Buffy answered, putting a hand on his leg. She smiled slightly as he calmed down at bit at the gentle touch.

"Where is he?"

The gathered teens all turned to the front of the now empty classroom to see Ms. Calendar pointing a very flushed Giles towards them. Without needing the hint, Xander and the two girls moved to the side allowing Giles to pull his son close to him. It worried them all when Spike didn't fight it or even make his requisite comments. He instead rested his head on his father's shoulder and shuddered again.

"What happened?" Giles looked up at the others once he sensed Spike had calmed down enough. He still didn't release him, instead finding a more comfortable position for the two of them.

"Last night I found this," Cordelia handed him the journal. "It belonged to Elizabeth Crawford and inside it had pictures of her mother, Rebecca. Spike saw the picture of pregnant with her fifth child, because yes, there was a fifth, and then this happened."

Giles raised an eyebrow and one handedly opened the book, lifting the picture out carefully. "Bloody hell," he whispered. He tightened his hold on Spike and sighed. He could sense the kids looking at him for further explanation.

"Giles, what's going on?" Xander asked, kneeling in front of father and son.

"Do you know who this woman is?"

"Yeah, Rebecca Crawford."

The older Giles laughed humorlessly. "She's also Spike's mother."

* * *

"The resemblance is uncanny!"

Tara rolled her eyes and snatched the two pictures away from Wesley. "They're not just uncanny Wesley, they're exact. This is technically speaking impossible. Aunt Rebecca doesn't just look like this woman. She practically is Rebecca Crawford, right down to the name and the son."

Both teens jerked upright from their hunched over positions at the dining room table to see Giles storming out of his office. Wesley arched an eyebrow and looked at Tara. "I take it his conversation with your mother went well."

"When doesn't it?" she grinned. "Mom swears he's the reason I'm a lesbian. How that one works is beyond me, but no one said my mom was playing with a full deck."

"Too true," Wesley muttered, before Tara smacked him upside the head. He took a brief moment to pout and then followed the Wiccan on her search for Giles. It wasn't too hard to find him as he had headed straight for his son's room. Spike was practically comatose on the bed in the first dreamless sleep he had had in weeks. And it was all thanks to his unwavering trust in Tara and the miracle that was Tylenol PM.

"What did mom say?"

"Well aside from her usual spouting on about how I'm insane and the sole corruptor of both you and her nephew, she told me everything she knew about Rebecca's birth family. It seems that Rebecca's family was named the Collins. I'll give you two guesses as to what Rebecca Crawford's maiden name was. And the second one doesn't count."

Tara sat down on the bed beside her sleeping cousin. "I don't understand."

"I messed up in my research," Giles rested his head on his hand wearily. "I was so hung up on his connection to the Crawford children that I completely forgot about the mother. She died in childbirth and they had the child sent back to Rebecca's family. Spike and his mother are descendants of the Crawford family. And I'm pretty sure it's not a stretch to say that they are the reincarnation of Rebecca and William."

"What do they want from him?"

"That I don't know. But I'm hoping that the others will be able to get something from that journal that can tell us."

"Willow called and said that they would be over here as soon as they got out of school," Tara replied, placing a hand on her tired uncle. "We're going to fix this, Uncle G. You know that right?"

"I keep telling you not to call me that," he smiled softly.

"How about Uncle Ripper?" Wesley suggested innocently. Giles turned a surprised glare on the older boy. He shrugged. "What can I say? I hang out with these two… willingly."

There was a soft laugh and all eyes flickered down to Spike. Despite the fact that he had yet to open his eyes, they all noticed the smile that was spreading across his face. Giles shook his head as his son finally managed to crack his eyes open to look up at his father. "Welcome to the world of the living."

"Hey," he whispered. His brow furrowed as he looked around his room in confusion. "When did we get home?"

"Uh, you really don't want to know the answer to that one, little cousin," Tara patted him on the stomach. Of course that just meant that Spike wanted to know even more. She shrugged. "Fine, since you insist. Well we didn't want to risk you freaking out on us once again, so I took the liberty of drugging your water. And while Uncle Giles was busy talking Snyder and Ms. Calendar out of calling the hospital, Angel had to carry your unconscious body out of the school."

Spike's face melted into a look of abject horror, which was apparently just what Tara was aiming for as a devious smirk crossed her lips. "Oh yeah, it was pretty bad. Angel was carrying you bridal style."

"She's lying right, Wes?"

The older boy buried his face in his hands to keep from laughing. Spike turned his imploring gaze on his father, who in turn stared at the ceiling in order to hide his amusement from his horrified child. "Oh but its true, Spike. I have pictures to prove it."

"You're evil, you know that, right?"

"But of course," Tara grinned. "I mean we're cousins. What else could I be?"

But instead of bringing a smile to his face as the comment normally did, his face darkened and his eyes lost the small amount of light they had gained. "What's wrong?"

"I really am evil," he replied in a small voice, sitting up and giving Wesley some room to sit on the bed. He leaned against the older boy and sighed. "It's my destiny to open something called the hellmouth."

"What's a hellmouth?" Giles asked, sitting close to his son.

"I don't know but let's just say that's it not pretty and involves a lot of death and intestines hanging out of people," Spike grimaced as the images flashed through his head once more. Instinctively he scooted closer to Giles.

His father sighed, wrapping an arm around his son. He was spared finding some reason to send the other two out the room by the doorbell ringing quite offensively downstairs. Of course, Xander was here. Tara saw the annoyed expression on his face and excused herself and Wesley in order to greet the others.

"You know no offense, kiddo but you haven't been this clingy since your mother died," Giles whispered.

"Haven't been this scared since then," Spike muttered, burying his face on his father's shoulder. "Besides you're the dad here. You're supposed to make all of this go away."

Giles chuckled. "Yeah, I'm supposed to, aren't I? I guess I'm not perfect after all."

Spike pulled away. "Well I already knew that much, Ripper."

"Tell me again why I put up with you and Tara together?"

"Lack of options?"

This brought a genuine smile to Giles' face. His smile faded slightly as he held his son's face in his hands. "I need you to know something, so listen carefully and get this through your stubborn head. No matter what anyone tells you, you are not evil. And you're meant for so much more than even you know. The only person in control of your destiny is you, William. The Crawford's may think they're in control but they're not. You are. And don't let them make you think otherwise."

"I know," Spike mumbled. "But it feels…"

"Yeah, I know," Giles nodded. "Will, I need you to know that you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don't regret anything in my life because it all led up to you being born. And no matter how many times you call me Ripper or break into haunted houses, I will never regret you. Nothing you can do can ever make me think you're evil. You're a good person."

He was rewarded with a nod and a brief smile. "Now that chick flick moment number ten thousand is out of the way, care to see what trouble your friends are causing downstairs. I swear if Xander has touched any of those artifacts again, I'll break his hands."

Spike laughed dryly and pulled away from his father. "I smell pizza." He climbed to his feet and sighed wearily. "If the whelp didn't get pepperoni I might be persuaded to help you break his hands."

Giles laughed as he watched Spike shuffle out the room. He could already hear the girls fawning over him loudly, and to a lesser extent Wesley, Xander and Angel. He closed his eyes in thought for the briefest moment. They were going to stop this. They had to stop it. Because there was no way he was going to lose his son. Not to a house and not to a messed up past that none of them had control over. But first things first, he was going to grab a slice of pizza before the human garbage disposals known as teenage boys and Fred inhaled it like they normally did. And then he was going to get back to work and figure out how to break the house's hold on Spike before it drove him insane or killed him.

Suddenly there was a loud crash followed a loud exclamation of "Oh no!" the older man sighed, shaking his head. He was seriously going to kill that kid one of these days.


	9. It Ends Tonight

Summary: Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

Spoilers: None.

Pairings: Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Cordelia/Riley, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Angel with hints of past Darla/Angel and Xander/Anya and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans. It's officially a Spuffy story.

Author's Notes: Here is a very long, new update because I'm terribly sorry about the ahem two month long wait. That was completely unintended. I hope you will all forgive me and enjoy this chapter. There is more Buffy in this chapter, with a brief cameo from Dawn. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that it makes up for the two month wait.

* * *

It Ends Tonight

Angel rolled his eyes as Riley's answering machine kicked in once again. "Riley, it's me. Again. Listen, has it occurred to you that maybe I'm a little concerned? You missed school and practice. I know Cordy dumped your sorry ass, which by the way you deserve, but seriously pick up your phone. Call me back." He sighed and hung up with another eye roll of disgust.

"He's still not picking up?"

The quarterback's eyes flickered up to see Cordelia standing over him with a worried expression. He sighed. "No. He's not answering and neither is Darla."

"And Darla would never miss your call," Cordelia shook her head, sitting beside him on the porch steps. "She would hang up on her own mother for you. So if she's not answering it means something is wrong."

"Or it means that she and Riley know they've screwed up."

"Or the house ate them."

"Which would not be your fault," Angel pointed out. "You didn't tell them to go back in that house, Cordy. They went in on their own free will and for a stupid reason, might I add. So none of this is your fault. And that's assuming something bad did happen. For all we know, those two idiots are sitting around somewhere laughing their asses off because they know we're worried about them."

He was rewarded with a hint of a smile before she turned her face towards the night sky. "I shouldn't have left them there. I know the house is bad. I believe it. They don't and that makes them even more vulnerable. I should have stayed with them. I should've ….."

"Cordy," Angel took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly. "No one in their right mind could blame you for reacting the way you did. They put you in a really rough situation. Your reaction was perfectly natural. And if something did happen, then it's not your fault. I don't blame you. You shouldn't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

She nodded her head but he could tell that the words hadn't helped her much. With a sigh, he put his arm around her shoulders pulling her close, resting his chin on top of her hair. "I wish I could make this better for you."

"I know," Cordelia replied in a quiet voice. "I wish you could too. But we're not little kids anymore, Angel. You can't just give me all the red gummy bears and let that take away all the badness. Somehow or another we wandered straight into a horror movie, only thing is its very real. Our lives are in danger and our friends could be dead."

"Do you regret it? Helping Spike? Helping me?"

The cheerleader pulled away from him to look him in the eye. "No to both of those. It's funny, if you told me a month ago that I would be more concerned about Spike than my own boyfriend, I probably would have laughed in your face and called you crazy. But I've seen what that place is capable of. It wants him. And I don't think its going to stop now that it's had a little taste of him. That can't happen. Spike is too nice, too good, for that place. It will swallow him alive and kill everything that makes him who he is."

"Well that's what we're here for," Angel grinned.

"You're going to swoop in and save the day and be the big fat brooding hero that you always wanted to be, huh, Dark Avenger?"

He snorted, eliciting a giggle from his companion. He gave her a dirty look. "I was eight! Okay. And as I remember you wanted to be my trusty sidekick Vision Girl."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "That was only because you wouldn't stop whining about how every good superhero needed a sidekick. That and Faith turned you down and pushed you in the dirt. I felt sorry for you. I didn't want you to start brooding."

"I don't brood!" he said, his voice coming dangerously close to whining.

"Then when do you call it?"

"Contemplative silence," he retorted. His own grin grew as a warm smile spread across her face. He loved her smile. It took him a minute to realize that he said that out loud as an eyebrow quirked upwards and her smile grew bigger. He flushed slightly and ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Well I do."

"You know if I didn't know better, I'd think that you were flirting with me, Mr. O'Connor."

"And if I was, what would you say?"

"Don't you already have a girlfriend?"

He motioned with his head towards the window behind them. Her brow furrowed as she didn't see anything that would answer her question. It was just Buffy looking down at something. When she mentioned that to Angel he simply nodded his head. She stood up and found her answer. She found that Buffy was sitting on the couch with Spike. His head was resting her lap and they were talking to each other quietly. The way Buffy was brushing her fingers through his hair was all the answer she needed.

"Oh, so now I'm just second string?"

Angel's eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently. "No! That's not what I meant. This is coming out all wrong. I mean obviously I shouldn't even be doing this. Buffy is your best friend and we only broke up like a couple of days ago. This is so not how I imagined this going. But it's just that…."

Cordelia put a finger to his lips silencing him. She then replaced her finger with her lips. Their kiss was brief but still Angel couldn't help but feel that it was perfect. And again he really needed to work on that internal dialogue problem he seemed to be having lately. The cheerleader shook her head. "You're a dork, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "But you like me anyway."

"For some reason, I really do. Wow I'm a freak," her smile growing wider as he narrowed his eyes playfully. "I really do like you, dummy."

"And I really like you too, princess," Angel lifted one of her hands and kissed it softly. "We'll get through this Cordy. You've been my best friend since we were kids. I don't think I would have survived loosing Faith without you." His eyes darkened as he thought about his lost sister and the life she was now forced to live. Cordelia brushed a hand over his cheek.

"We will find a way to save her. We're going to save her and Spike. We're getting a happy ending, damn it."

Angel nodded his head slowly and moved closer to her once again. Just as they were about to kiss, Xander stuck his head out of the window. "Hey, you two, Willow found something." He paused for a moment obviously listening to someone inside the house. "And Buffy said that it's about damn time you guys got together."

"She would," Cordelia shook her head. Angel rose and pulled her up to stand beside him. Hand in hand the couple walked into the house and joined the others who were now gathered around the redhead.

"What did you find out, Wonder Brain?" Xander asked, slipping into the seat next to her. She glared at him out the corner of her eye. A pleased smirk crossed her lips as Tara smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ahem, my life on the line here," Spike cleared his throat. "Some of us would like it if you put the Xander bashing on hold so that Willow can tell us what she found. After I'm safe and sound do whatever you please to the whelp."

"Thanks for the love and support, jerk," Xander muttered.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Willow snapped everyone back to reality. "I found something. I was looking on the internet for the history of the house, beyond what already know. We all know that Michael Crawford bought the house sixty years after it had been built. We all know that his wife was responsible for the gardens on the property and that they all went to waste after she died. And of course we all know about the tragic deaths of the Crawford children."

Buffy arched an eyebrow. "We do?"

"Oh yes, it's a very interesting read. You see the oldest, Michael died in an accident on the docks he worked at. The supposed youngest child, Jacob tried to take over as the apple of his father's eye and failed miserably. He disappeared for two years and then he came back and killed himself right in the parlor of the house with his two sisters watching. Lydia, the younger of the two girls, drowned herself in the fountain after she suffered a miscarriage, which would have been the only child she and her late husband would have had. He died two months after they were married. As a matter of fact, the only Crawford child that didn't suffer from some form of tragic ending is Elizabeth. She just disappeared one day without a trace."

Wesley paused taking in the looks of the people assembled in the room. "What?"

"You really need to get a life," Fred muttered under her breath although it was loud enough to bring a smile to Spike's face.

"Excuse me for being the only one here who was considerate enough to investigate the history of the family that is currently trying to eat one of my friends."

"Aw, we're just kidding you, Percy," Cordelia tapped him on the shoulder. "Suck it up."

Wesley started to retort but Giles held up a hand preventing him from saying anything. "Before this continues on its inevitable headache inducing path, please let's just look at the information that Willow has found out."

The Wicca in question smiled although she kept her eyes trained on the computer screen. "Well all the history aside, I found some information about the land. The land was inhabited by a group of Native Americans. That is before the Spanish settlers arrived trying to convert them."

"I knew it!" Xander interrupted loudly. "Everything bad that happens in horror movie situations happens because someone pissed off the Indians."

"Native Americans."

"Same thing."

"Anyway, again as I was saying, very few of them were willing to actually convert. The missionaries wiped out those that were unwilling to see things their way. The legend says that before the very last of the **Native Americans** died they cursed the entire land. The land we call Sunnydale. But eventually they were forgotten and those that had converted were assimilated into the settlement. No one believed in the curse anyway. That is until they built the church."

"What happened with the church?"

"The men working at the construction site reported hearing weird noises and seeing things moving. Then ten men on the site were killed. One man went mad. He exhibited odd behavior at work and then went home and killed his family before killing himself. He wasn't the only suicide either. Three other men killed themselves in rather brutal ways. Despite this they still continued to build the church. During the first mass the wine was mysteriously poisoned and the entire congregation was killed. After this the settlers were ready to admit defeat and they fled back to Spain. But not before leaving the land the church stood on with a neat little nickname."

"Something tells me I'm going to regret asking but what was that nickname?" Cordelia asked hesitantly.

"La Boca Del Inferno," Spike whispered. All eyes were on him and he shrunk back from the look on their faces. "The hellmouth. The land they stole from the India... from the Native Americans was really a cover for the mouth of hell. They could control it. They could keep it closed. But the Spanish took over, upset it and now Elizabeth Crawford wants to use me to open it."

Giles opened his mouth to protest but the words died on his lips. It was true. Somehow his son was the key to opening this Hellmouth thing. And based off his son's description it didn't sound like something terribly pleasant to have opened. He saw the lost look entering his son's eyes and moved quickly to pull him out of the pits of his despair.

"I want everything you can find about this hellmouth. I'm going to go through Elizabeth's journal and see what I can get from there."

"And how are we supposed to do that with only one computer?" Fred asked, arching an eyebrow. The eyebrow dropped as the first real smile Giles had given since this whole ordeal had started spread across his face and motioned with his head towards a bookcase in the far corner of the room. From where they sat the assembled teens could see that the books that sat on the dusty shelf were thick and bore lengthy titles that promised nothing but headache inducing boredom. "Sorry I asked."

"Wow, there really is someone who is a bigger nerd than Wes," Xander shook his head in awe.

"Hey!" Wesley and Giles protested in unison.

* * *

Two hours later found the group exactly as they had imagined, bored out of their minds and lacking in concrete answers. They found very little about the hellmouth outside of the information that Willow had looked up on the internet. And so most of them were passed out, drooling over the heavy texts. The only survivors of the research party, as Xander had called it, were Spike, Buffy, Xander, Tara, and Giles. Although it was clear that Spike was hanging on out of sheer stubborn will and stark refusal to sleep. When he slept, he was the most vulnerable to the house. And if he was willing to keep it up then Buffy, Xander and Tara were willing to as well despite the fact that the words on the pages had long since ceased to make sense.

Giles was pouring over Elizabeth's journal, trying desperately to find a way to save his son. But he didn't see one. Finally he slammed the book shut with a sneer, startling the conscious members of the group. Tara slid the book away from him before he decided to take out his anger on it. "What did the journal say?"

"A whole lot of nonsense really," he replied, wiping a hand over his face. "Her journal is ambiguous at best. It isn't until the middle that she starts to make reference to the events that led to the end of her family. She knew almost a year before that her mother was going to be pregnant with the son that she died giving birth to."

Spike sat up noticeably. Buffy's eyes flickered to his face and then back to Giles. "Do you think she was psychic or something?"

"Or tuned into the house," Tara said, drawing everyone's attention suddenly. She blushed slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What I mean is that houses have their own energy to them just like humans do. When a person lives in a house they leave behind a footprint. Almost like a psychic footprint in the house. The house reflects that footprint, which is where we get the idea of ghosts and such. Sometimes if so much negative energy builds up in a house like in Crawford Manor, the house can seem to be alive. Crawford is built over the mouth of hell. I don't think it gets anymore negative than that."

"So the house really is alive?" Xander asked, skeptically. "It's not just Elizabeth and the hellmouth. It's the actual house?"

"It makes sense. In her journal, Elizabeth says that her mother longed for another child but found out after Jacob she couldn't have anymore children. Suddenly four years later she is pregnant, a year after Elizabeth first mentions it in her journal. She said her mother cared for the house as if it were her child. It could be that the house's energy manifested itself in Rebecca in the form of a child."

"So it's kind of like William was the house in human form?" Buffy picked up Giles' train of thought. "And Spike is his descendant?"

"I dare say its pretty safe to say he is William's reincarnation," Giles frowned, looking at his son. Spike lifted his gaze from the table to meet his father's gaze. "It's too much of a coincidence that his mother was named Rebecca and that he is William. Both women are identical and the pictures of William as a child are exactly the same as Spike as a child."

"Except for the eyes," Xander pointed out, earning a couple of glares. He held up his hands defensively. "I'm just saying, you might be part of this whole mess with the Crawford's, but don't forget you're still part Giles. They only have so much of a hold on you."

The corners of his mouth lifted as Spike stared at his best friend in wonder. "Sometimes I get why we're friends," he commented. Xander punched him lightly on the shoulder. "So fine, I'm the house. Now we got that part clear what do we do about stopping me from you know opening the gates of hell?"

"Well I found some obscure reference in this book to something called a Key," Buffy pulled the book she had been looking through closer. "It's supposedly this mystical dimension opening ball of energy."

"So we could use that to close the hellmouth after I open it?" Spike asked, hopefully.

"If you open it," Xander corrected. Spike fixed him with a look. However, Xander was well versed in all looks Spike and merely shrugged it off. "I just don't think we should base our entire plan on something that isn't definite. So anyway," he held up a hand silencing Spike's protests. "How do we find this thing and exactly how do we use it if the Hellmouth is opened?"

Both Buffy and Tara had to grin at the put out look on Spike's face, while Giles was left with a mild sense of envy. He had yet to figure out how to silence his son in such a way. Clearing her throat Buffy brought them back to reality.

"That's the problem. Who knows if this thing is even real or what form it's in? Hell, for all we know it could be a random annoying teenager in Sunnydale." Buffy's tirade ended as her phone rang. She rolled her eyes recognizing the number on her caller id. "Speaking of annoying teenagers in Sunnydale…… Yes, Dawn? ... Mom already knows I'm sleeping over at Cordy's." she paused, her eyes widening. "What do you mean that's not true... what do you know you little weasel….. What's it going to cost me?"

Tara flashed Spike a knowing look which he chose to ignore pointedly. The witch grinned. She knew all about having annoying younger siblings or in her case, cousins. She turned back to Buffy who was becoming increasingly more frustrated by her sister. "You want to hang out with my boyfriend? What kind of weirdo request is that? Anyway you hate Angel…. Spike?" her eyes widened further and her face turned a variety of shades of red. She turned in her seat in order to gain a small sense of privacy. "How do you know about that? You know what? Never mind. I really don't want to know. Just keep this a secret and I might let you meet my boyfriend. Maybe… jerk. Yeah, bye to you too."

She hung up the phone and refused to turn to meet Spike's gaze. She could sense his eyes on her. She knew that infuriatingly adorable smirk was on his face. As it was she could see Xander, Tara and Giles grinning broadly. Suddenly she wished the hellmouth were open and that it would swallow her up at that very moment.

"Boyfriend, eh, pet?" Spike finally broke the amused silence that fallen over the group. "Didn't know we were at that stage yet."

"You didn't?" she retorted, daring to look his way. This proved to be the right move as his face suddenly flushed. He cleared his throat.

"Right, well life on the line, remember? Did anyone else find anything real that could help?" he barely managed to dodge a punch from Buffy. His eyes landed on his cousin. "How about you, Glenda? You've been pouring over that book practically all night. You find something?"

"No," Tara said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I guess we have to keep looking."

It was that moment that she related the most to Buffy. Because younger siblings/cousins were created to know when you were hiding something unpleasant. And it seemed like they lived to expose that something unpleasant. Especially when that something unpleasant was something pertaining to them. She knew when she saw that look enter his eye and he knew that she knew. Which was why what needed to happen was going to be all the more painful for them both.

"Give me the book," Spike ordered keeping his voice calm and quiet.

"No," Tara replied, her tone matching her cousin's. She stared him down but managed to keep her cool. "There is nothing to see in here. It's just a bunch of boring old book crap."

Giles protested somewhat but he went largely ignored by the feuding cousins. By this point the remainder of the group was starting to stir as if they noticed the tension that had suddenly fallen over the table. "If there is nothing in there, then why won't you let me look at it?"

"Because you could be doing something actually productive and going through another book, but you want to waste time looking through a book that has nothing in it."

Spike's eyes narrowed. Now he knew there was definitely something in there. "Tara, just give me the damn book."

"No, Will. I'm not giving you the book. Now shut up and move on."

Before Spike could formulate a very colorful reply, Giles decided it was time to intercept. His son and niece were infamous for their tempers and on the rare occasions that they really fought, it got very ugly. He reached for his niece's hand. "Tara, if you know something, anything, then we all need to know. It's important."

"But…" she trailed off, sighing deeply. After a brief moment of hesitation, she shoved the book across the table to her cousin. "I'm hope you're happy, brat." With that said, she stormed out of the room. Willow followed after her wordlessly.

Spike pulled the book closer not bothering to revel in his victory. If Tara was trying to keep it from him this badly, not to mention obviously, then it was something that he probably was better off not knowing. Still they couldn't afford to not have all the options laid out for them. And that's why he flipped the page back to the one he had seen her stuck on earlier that evening. After a few tense minutes, he looked up and pushed the book away.

"Oh."

"After all that, all you have to say is oh?" Angel asked, skeptically. "What did the book say?"

"That the only way to close the hellmouth once it's open is to destroy the thing that opened it in the first place," Tara replied for her cousin. She leaned against the doorway of the room watching him with Willow standing at her side. "That book is saying that the only option we have is to kill Spike."

Giles shook his head words of protest already forming on his lips when Spike finally snapped out of his light daze. "Okay then, well that's an answer."

Buffy scoffed and looked at him. "That is not an answer."

"You mean an answer you feel comfortable with," Spike corrected. His gaze drifted around the room sweeping over every surprised and disbelieving face. "None of you saw what I saw. Once the hellmouth is open, its game over for Sunnydale. You think Faith has a raw deal? Well that's nothing compared to what's going to happen when that thing opens. If the only way to stop it is to kill me, well then so be it."

"Spike, you're seriously telling us to kill you," Tara snapped. "Have you even thought this one through? You think that anyone in this room is going to even consider that idea?"

"You don't get it do you? This isn't a joke. This thing kills people! It's going to wipe out this entire town. This is a way and you're just brushing it aside like it's not even important."

"If it involves you being dead then it's not something worth considering," Xander stated matter-of-factly. He crossed his arms over his chest and attempted his best resolve face. Though not as effective as Willow's it did serve the much desired purpose of calming the angry teen to a slow simmer. After another tense silence he turned on his heel and marched towards the door.

"Spike?" Wesley called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Outside! Don't worry, I promise not to hang myself by my shoelaces while I'm out there!" he snapped as a reply, letting the door slam behind him.

The group jumped slightly at the noise before turning incredulous looks on the elder Giles. The man was rubbing his glasses carelessly on the tail of his shirt. Tara put a hand on his shoulder and leaned down so that her head was resting on top of his. "He's just scared."

"I know," she whispered. "Doesn't change the fact that he's a little ass and he totally broke rule number five."

He arched an eyebrow and glanced up at his niece. "I'm going to regret this… rule number five?"

"No suicide threats in the face of a crisis."

Giles blinked looking between an ashamed Wesley and a nonplussed Tara. It wasn't too hard figuring out which one of them came up with that particular little rule either. He was really going to have to monitor what those three did together.

* * *

She knew that she was sort of overstepping her boundaries as the new girlfriend, but she couldn't help it, she was worried. He had been out there on the porch for over an hour and he showed no signs of abandoning his post anytime soon. So she quietly slipped out of the room and out the door.

"I know it's the only way. I know what I have to do."

Buffy stopped in her tracks at hearing his soft voice. His back was still to her and his head was tilted slightly as if he were listening to someone. Someone who couldn't be seen. She gently cleared her throat causing him to jump.

"Buffy? What are you doing out here?"

She raised an eyebrow and sat down beside him. "What does it look like, stupid? I'm checking on you."

He mustered a weak grin. "I told you lot that I wasn't going to hang myself."

"Yes, but you failed to mention that you would be talking to yourself," she pointed out, lightly. "Spike, I know you're desperate to find a way, we all are but killing you…. it's not an option."

She inwardly gasped at the sight of the haunted blue eyes locked onto hers. "Buffy, you didn't see what I saw. I would rather die then let that thing open and do what it wants. I saw what would happen to this town. I saw what would happen to my father, Tara, Wes, Xander… you. I can't let that happen, not to you."

Buffy took his hand in hers and moved closer to him on the steps so that her head was resting against his. "You have to let us try to find another way. I know it's hard for you. But I can't lose you. Not when I just found you."

Spike closed his eyes and sighed. "You always had me, love. One way or another, you always had me."

"When I think about all the time I wasted ignoring you, ignoring this, I want to smack myself," she whispered. "If you think that I'm about to let you kill yourself for this town without a fight, you're out of your mind." She pulled away from him slightly so she could look him in the eye. "Besides, I hear New York is great this time of year."

Spike couldn't help but laugh as she unknowingly echoed his father at the beginning of this whole mess. He was really starting to give the idea some thought. Especially when he thought about her being by his side. He put a hand to her face and rubbed her cheek softly with his thumb. "Buffy," he started to say before trailing off. She reached up and placed her hand over his.

"I don't want to lose you," she repeated. "Promise me that you'll give us time to find another way."

Spike dropped his hand to his lap and looked down at the porch steps. "I can't promise that, love. Please don't make me."

Tears welled in her eyes as she watched him sitting beside her. The thought of losing him made her feel sick inside. She thought she knew what love was while she was with Angel but the one good thing this whole ordeal had shown her was that this was love. What she felt for Spike was love. The idea of being apart from him was hurting her. The thought of him dying to save her was killing her. Without hesitation or even thought, Buffy placed a finger underneath his chin, raising his face to meet hers.

"I love you," she said. She stared him in the eye daring him to contradict the statement. But to her surprise he smiled a little brighter and leaned closer to her again.

"I know you do," he whispered in return. "I love you too." No more words needed to be spoken as his lips brushed against hers. She put a hand behind his head guiding him towards her and deepened the kiss. They parted for air and rested their heads together. "I love you," he said it again. He needed her to know. He needed her to know why he had to do what was going to do. It was because he loved her and everyone else in that house, Angel and Cordelia included, that he had do this. One way or another, he thought, this ends tonight.

* * *

I know people wanted to see a little more Buffy but that part with Cordelia and Angel in the beginning just wrote itself. I promise Buffy will be taking on more in this story. I hope the Spuffy at the end was enough to appease some people. Hope you liked. Until next time…. 


	10. Acceptance

**Summary:** Very AU. It was a simple dare. Just spend an hour inside Sunnydale's own haunted mansion, Crawford Manor. But Crawford is no ordinary house, and William 'Spike' Giles is no ordinary kid. Now events set in motion decades ago are finally coming to ahead, the gates to hell are opening and its up to Spike and his friends to figure out what his role in this is before it's too late.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings: **Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Cordelia/Riley, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Angel with hints of past Darla/Angel and Xander/Anya and future Buffy/Spike.

**Author's Notes:** It's been awhile. I have no excuses. I lost inspiration for this story but I finally got an idea of how I want it to end. Its only got two more chapters to go. Hopefully I'll have this finished by the end of October. I hope that people enjoy this new chapter. One quick note, nothing major. I changed the summary as well as the category. This really doesn't feature Buffy as much as it does the relationship between Spike and his father, so I changed the main characters to Spike & Giles.

* * *

**Acceptance**

"Eureka!"

Wesley looked up from the book before him to see nine pair of eyes blinking at him in mild surprise and in certain cases horror. "You know it's a good thing you're cute or else," Fred trailed off, shaking her head. "So exactly what has caused your eureka moment?"

"And can you never say it again?" Xander added. "It borders on a side of uncool that even I wouldn't touch."

Wesley narrowed his eyes. "Yes, that's right. Let's all just taunt the person that may have found a way to save Spike." All joking and teasing was pushed aside and he knew he had their full attention. "Now that that's settled, here's what I've been working on. I've been thinking about what we were talking about earlier. If Spike is connected to the house then destroying the house wouldn't work. What if we cut the connection between the two of them?"

"How would we go about doing that outside of torching the place?" Angel asked. "Because I'm all in favor of just burning the place to the ground at this point."

"But that wouldn't solve the problem. Spike would still be connected to the hellmouth even if the house wasn't standing. But if we were to perform a binding spell, we might be able to separate the essence of the hellmouth from the house, and consequently Spike."

"And then we can worry about the Crawford's and Spike," Giles concluded. "That actually might work. If we can just get the hellmouth out of the picture for now, it would be easy to get rid of the house."

"Finally all that geekiness paid off," Tara grinned in Wesley's direction. The younger teen merely blinked wondering just how she had managed to insult and compliment him in the same sentence. "So who wants to have the honor of telling the brat that we found another way?"

There was a moment of silence and slowly all eyes flickered to Xander. The teen in question narrowed his eyes, shaking his head in disappointment. "Why do I have to go?"

"You're expendable?" Cordelia suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. "It doesn't matter why, just go do it!"

Xander rolled his eyes but still stood up. He stretched his suddenly aching body. Sitting in Giles' dining room chairs for more than an hour wasn't exactly a pain free experience. Giles really needed to invest in new chairs. He shook the random train of thought out of his head as he walked up the stairs towards his friend's room. Shortly after his talk with Buffy, Spike had gone upstairs claiming to be too tired to even attempt reading a book. Periodically one of them had checked to make sure that he hadn't snuck out a window while they weren't looking. And that is why Xander was surprised to find his friend's room empty with an open window taunting him.

"Spike?" his eyes scanned the room, hoping that he was just missing something. That his friend was in fact sitting right there and that he was just apparently blind. But no, there was no sight of the bright, platinum locks. There was however a piece of paper fluttering in the light breeze. "Crap." He grabbed the note and ran down the stairs.

All it took was one look at Xander's face to know what happened. He waved the note in the air before crossing his arms over his chest. "He's gone."

Never before had two words inflicted such deep pain in Giles. Spike was gone. He had more than likely gone back to that house. He was going to kill his son one of these days. That is if, the house hadn't done so already.

"Get the supplies," he heard himself speaking but he wasn't sure how. His voice sounded calm when he felt anything but on the inside. "Tara, you, Willow and Wesley make a list of the supplies and get them together."

"And then what?" Fred asked, instantly shrinking back behind Wesley as Giles' face darkened.

"And then," he started in response, "I'm going to rescue my idiot son."

Tara cleared her throat, resting her hands on her hips. "I think you mean that we're going to rescue your idiot son. No way am I sitting this one out."

"Well, I found the spell," Wesley sniffed.

"I am not going to be left behind," Fred chimed in. "Again!"

"We're in," Willow and Xander replied in unison. Slowly all eyes shifted towards the Fang Gang who had yet to speak.

Cordelia rolled her eyes, but a slow smile curved her lips. "I'm mad you even need to ask. Like hell I sat here all night reading books older than my grandmother just so we can sit around and do nothing but twiddle our thumbs!"

"I think what Cordy means in her usual tactless way is that we're in," Angel translated for those not fluent in Cordelia.

"Bah, tact is just leaving out the true stuff."

Giles smiled tensely at the assembled teens. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I can't ask you to risk your lives, even for my son."

"Well then it's a good thing you didn't ask, now isn't it," Buffy pointed out, smirking and looking eerily like her boyfriend in the process. "We all care about Spike, Giles. We all need to see him safe and sound." She paused for a moment. "So we can kick his ass."

"Come on, Uncle Giles. You can always use the extra hands. And if push comes to shove, Xander is the man at distractions."

"Great, I've officially become cannon fodder. I'm really going to kick his ass!"

"Take a number," Tara retorted. She draped an arm around her uncle. "So what do you say, Uncle G?"

The smile on Giles' face spread a little wider. He didn't even bother correcting the hated nickname. By saving Spike, they very well could be saving the world as they knew it. And this was his team. "The world is doomed."

* * *

Spike shoved his hands in his pockets as he shifted from one foot to the other. He had done the unthinkable. He had run away back to his own private hell. He knew that by now they had figured it out. He wouldn't have long before they were here. He knocked on the door one final time before it swung open. He was greeted by a morose Faith. 

"You knocked?"

He shrugged. "Every time I've barged in here something bad has happened. This time I figured I'd try something new." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "Can I come in or what?"

Faith's hand tightened over the door knob. "Are you sure you want to do that? You know if you come in this time, you're never going to be able to go back. You'll be here forever."

"Forever has a short shelf life when it comes to this family," he said, pushing his way past the girl… ghost. Faith closed the door behind them with a heavy sigh. Spike arched an eyebrow. "And here I thought you would be all about the Hellmouth opening, ducks."

"You thought wrong," Faith hissed, walking away from him and straight into a wall that hadn't been there a moment ago. She frowned. "The house is already responding to you. It knows why you're here."

"Goody," he deadpanned. He ignored his reluctant hostess in favor of further exploration of the ground floor. As he walked through the rooms, the years of dirt and grime lifted off the furniture revealing beautiful and almost new surfaces.

"Welcome home, William."

Spike stopped in his tracks to glance up at Elizabeth. The woman was smiling ear to ear. He simply frowned in her direction before continuing his inspection of the main parlor room.

"Now, now, Will. What's with the attitude? You chose to come back here, did you not?"

"Like you gave me a bloody choice!" he snapped. "All this because daddy didn't spend enough time with you? Bit pathetic don't you think?"

A cold feeling seeped in his bones as Elizabeth's eyes darkened. "You would do well to learn your place, little brother." As she spoke Spike felt his body being lifted off the ground before he flew across the room. However, instead of crashing into the wall, he found his fall cushioned by one of the parlor chairs. He sat up slowly as the chair descended. A smirk formed on his lips at the look on Elizabeth's face.

"Well, it seems I've learned my place quite well, don't you think? You would do well to keep your hands of the merchandise. That is unless you're willing to wait another eighty years."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes but visibly restrained herself. Spike let out a quiet sigh of relief as the warmth returned to his body. She gave him a tight smile and spoke through clenched teeth.

"So what brings you by tonight, William?"

"You know what," he retorted, sharply. "But before that, I have some questions that need answering."

Elizabeth sat down in a chair of her own, smiling almost serenely now. "Go ahead. Ask what you please."

"Okay," he said, shakily. "How is this even possible? How are you still alive? You should be dead. And how is my mother involved in all of this? What did you do to her? Was all of this just to get back at the one that got away?"

Her smile melted into a teasing smirk. "My dear little brother, it seems that you've got quite a bit of things wrong here. I am dead, for starters. I'm able to live because of my connection to the house. It keeps me here and alive as long as I provide it with healthy sacrifices every once in awhile. And in a town like Sunnydale there is no shortage of people willing to die for my cause."

"You're sick," Spike hissed, venomously. His eyes flickered to Faith who was standing in the doorway listening intently to the pair talking. "What about Faith? Is she dead too?"

"No, she's still alive. But only because I let her be. She is bound to this house and to me. Should she cross either of us, I might not be so generous."

Spike shook his head. "I don't think there enough words in the English language to describe how fucked up you are." He paused in thought. "But you said I got a few things wrong. What else did I miss?"

Elizabeth laughed and the sound sent chills down Spike's spine. "You seem to be under the belief that this is my show. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"Then who…."

"You," she replied, with an even wider smile. "It's you, or rather, the original William Crawford."

Spike's eyes widened and he was distressed to notice that his jaw had dropped slightly as well. Thankfully, a quick glance out of the corner of his right eye showed that Faith was in a similar state of shock. Elizabeth laughed again fully solidifying Spike's decision to shut her up one way or another. Using that determination, he was finally able to overcome his shock enough to speak.

"Huh?" well that was smooth.

"I'm dead, William. But this house is very much alive. It's alive because you are. William found a spell to bring our mother back in order to be born again. He used his connection to the house to keep me alive until the time he would be born again. So that I could usher him, or rather you, to your true destiny."

"But how? He was shipped off for parts unknown. How the hell did he even know about this freak show house?"

She shook her head. "My darling William, or should I call you by that detestable name, Spike? You're not very quick on the uptake at any rate. I know your father has read my journals by now. I wanted this to happen. I'm in tune with this house as well. Mother was the only other person who knew this house. That's why it chose her as a vessel. I was not about to let the house's will be undone by the stupidity of a weak, spineless man."

Spike snorted. "You must have been daddy's favorite."

"He had no favorites. He was too consumed by his work," she spat. "He never paid any attention to any of us. He bought this house without knowing the true history of it. But I figured it out. It spoke to me. And it told me that mother would bring it to life. And she did. Unfortunately that meant she had to die in the process."

"So why my mother? How is she involved in this?"

"Isn't it obvious? Your mother is my mother. We are for all intents and purposes biologically brother and sister."

"So why didn't my mother die giving birth to me?"

Elizabeth's smile dropped at this and her eyes darkened slightly. "Your father."

Spike arched an eyebrow. "My father?"

"Yes, apparently his DNA runs a bit stronger than even I suspected," she muttered. "Your bond with your father is what keeps you from knowing who you really are. I can sense William in you but he's buried underneath the boy you think you are."

Though he kept it hidden, Spike was warmed by the words Elizabeth had told him. He was his father's son. Her smile returned as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "But you're here tonight. And I can't help but wonder why."

"Why do you think?"

"Well, it could be because you have some noble idea in your head that you can actually stop this somehow," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You think you're going to be able to break the connection you have with the house and the hellmouth. But you'll fail."

"I guess if that was my intention, then yeah, I'd probably fail. Luckily for all us," he grinned. "That was never my plan."

Elizabeth leaned forward, visibly interested. "Really now. So what was your plan?"

"I want this over. I want the dreams to end. I want it all over. You said that it would stop once I just accepted who I am, right? So fine. I'm here because I want this to end. Tonight. I want my mother back."

"Aw, how perfectly sweet," Elizabeth cooed, mockingly. "Are you serious though, William? If you accept who you are, there is no turning back from this?"

His eyes flickered briefly to Faith, who was silently pleading with him to just back away from this plan entirely. He gave her a small smile before covering it up with the bravado only he could muster in the face of a crisis. "I think you might want to get the door. It seems like we have company."

Both women looked confused by the sudden change in subject. That is until the front door slammed open. Spike rolled his eyes. "Buffy the door slayer strikes again," he mumbled before rising from his seat. With just a simple thought, the parlor they were standing in opened up allowing his friends and family to enter the room.

"How did it…" Xander trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't think I want an answer to that question."

"Good thinking," Cordelia agreed. "Okay, Spike, you've had your insane moment of the evening. Given that you think we have to kill you, you're entitled to it."

Elizabeth gave a startled laugh. "So you did figure it out."

Tara crossed her arms over her chest. "Figured what out?"

"The only way to end this is for you to either kill him or for him to open the hellmouth. There is no other way. So your little bag of tricks there won't work."

Giles swallowed but kept his eyes trained on his son, who was refusing to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were locked on the ground beneath his feet. "Spike, just come over here. Wesley has found a way that might work."

"I'm sorry, dad. I just can't wait for maybe anymore. I have to do this."

"Do what?" Buffy asked, quietly.

Spike finally lifted his eyes which were glowing white. "End this," he replied, in a voice that was not his own. It was much older and the accent was more refined. They could barely register that fact before the foundation of the house started to shake.

"Earthquake?" Fred suggested hopefully. She was met with eight stares of disbelief. "Well we are in California. It could've been an earthquake."

Elizabeth stood up and crossed the distance between herself and Spike. She put a hand on his face and laughed joyfully. "William, at last!"

"What the hell is going on?" Cordelia asked holding onto Buffy and Angel, as the shaking became more intense. The floor before the two siblings started to crack. Elizabeth's laughter became louder taking on an almost maniac quality.

"Spike, what did you do?" Giles yelled over the commotion.

"What I was born to do," 'Spike' said, with a cold smile. The edges of the floor surrounding the crack were starting to fall apart, prompting the Scoobies and company to step backward less they fall in. Giles and Tara exchanged worried glances before looking at their worst nightmare in the center of the room. The hellmouth was officially opening.

* * *

Evil, huh? 

"Oh, we are so screwed," Cordelia groaned.


	11. Endsong

**Summary:** Very AU. It was a simple dare. Just spend an hour inside Sunnydale's own haunted mansion, Crawford Manor. But Crawford is no ordinary house, and William 'Spike' Giles is no ordinary kid. Now events set in motion decades ago are finally coming to ahead, the gates to hell are opening and its up to Spike and his friends to figure out what his role in this is before it's too late.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings: **Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Cordelia/Riley, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Angel with hints of past Darla/Angel and Xander/Anya and future Buffy/Spike.

**Author's Notes:** I'm getting a lot better wtih the updates. Like I said in the previous chapter there were only two more chapters left. This one of them and there one more to come after this. So I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

**Endsong**

_Giles watched his sleeping son with a familiar fondness that now brought a heavy weight along with it. His son looked so much like his wife, like his beautiful Rebecca. Rebecca was buried today after being pronounced dead just five days ago. It seemed like he buried a part of him with her that afternoon. But there was still need for all of him. He needed to be strong for this small person who now depended solely on him. He ran a hand softly over his son's curly hair and sighed. He had no idea how he was going to do this. He had no clue how he was going to be able to raise his son without his wife._

_He took one final look at William before leaving the room. He headed downstairs towards the kitchen where he heard rustling sounds. A week ago, that would have been his wife probably making a midnight snack for the inevitable arrival of their darling boy who still had yet to learn how to sleep through the night. But this wasn't a week ago. This was today and today there would be no midnight snacks and joking around. Today there was only misery, heartache and his sister in law Emma McClay, which really was synonymous with misery and heartache._

_"Rupert," she greeted curtly as he walked into the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea that she had just prepared. "How is William?"_

_He glanced her wondering if she thought at all about the words that were coming out of her mouth or if she just went for it. It had to be the latter because there was no other possible way something that stupid could seem okay in her head. Instead of answering her, he just settled for looking towards the refrigerator to see if he could get William to eat something._

_"I know you heard me, Rupert."_

_"Yes, I heard you, Emma. But I'm choosing to ignore you."_

_He heard her scoff and that brought just a little levity to his heavy heart. It felt good to mess with his sister-in-law. She was never a big fan of his. She never thought he was good enough for her sister and then consequently their son. Of course, Rebecca had obviously thought otherwise and he knew that he was number one in his son's eyes. Still there was something about Emma that always found a way to get under his skin. He sighed heavily as he pulled out a casserole that one of their neighbors had dropped off._

_"Look at yourself." Here it comes, he thought. "You're a mess, Rupert."_

_He turned around to give the woman a look. "I'm not sure if you knew this but my wife died a few days ago."_

_Emma's face darkened and for a brief moment, he regretted the comment. After all Rebecca and Emma were sisters. But it was only for a very brief moment. It passed because after all mocking Emma was one of his favorite past times. And he needed any small sense of joy that he could find these days._

_"Your socks don't match and your shirt is on backwards," she pointed out. Before he could even begin to wonder what that had to do with anything, she beat him to the chase. "How are you going to take care of your son when you can barely take care of yourself?"_

_His newfound joking attitude was dropped quickly as he glared at his sister-in-law. "Don't presume that I'm incapable of taking care of my child. William is my son."_

_"And my nephew! He is the last link to my sister. He's special, Rupert. You can see it just by looking at him. You're barely holding it together at the moment," she replied calmly taking a sip of her tea. "Who is going to be there for him when you start breaking down?"_

_Giles' jaw dropped slightly. "And just what are you hinting at here, Emma?"_

_"Matthew and I are willing to take him in. This way he doesn't need to leave behind the life that he's used to. He's only seven years old. He just lost his mother and you want to take him away from his home as well. Away from Tara and that Weakley boy."_

_"Wesley, his name is Wesley," Giles corrected through clenched teeth. "And while I appreciate the offer, I'm going to have to say no."_

_"Rupert, be honest with yourself. Do you really think that you're going to be able to care for him the same way that Rebecca used to? Uprooting him will only result in even more trauma. Just leave him here with us for awhile. And then when you're in a better place, you can come back and be with him."_

_As Giles contemplated the nicest way possible to tell his sister-in-law that she was in a fact a crazy shrew, he heard a little whimper. He whirled around to find wide blue eyes that rivaled his own._

_"Oh, William, you're awake," Emma smiled in his direction. She was amazingly oblivious to his obvious distress. "You want something to eat, sweet pea?"_

_The boy remained focused only on his father. "Daddy?"_

_Giles knew what the question was just as he knew the answer without even thinking it over. "Never, Will. Never."_

_A slow smile spread across the small face and he ran into his father's arms. Giles hugged his son tightly and felt warmed by the trust William had placed in him. No, it wouldn't be the same without Rebecca. Obviously because she was gone. But that didn't mean that it couldn't be just as good. They would make it work. He would make it work because he had promised his wife as he held her lifeless hand. He would always take care of their child._

_"You're not to worry," he whispered in the boy's ear. "We'll always make it through. We'll always be together."_

_"I know, daddy. You don't worry either, okay?"_

_Giles pulled back and smiled widely. "Okay."_

* * *

Giles blinked back tears as that memory assaulted him at probably the most inopportune time. The hellmouth was growing wider and he could feel the heat from the pit. He could hear Elizabeth's maniac laughter. He could hear the other teens' yelling and trying to make sense of what was happening. He heard all of this. But the only thing he saw was his son. The vivid blue gone replaced with an eerie white that had encompassed the whole of his eyes.

"Spike?" he said, in a broken whisper.

The young man's attention snapped to his father and he shook his head. "Not anymore."

"Spike, there has to be another way. Let us help you," he continued, ignoring Spike's protest. "Son, just let me help you."

For a brief moment the white faded and the blue returned. Just as quickly it was gone but he knew that his son had heard him. "You've already helped me, Ripper."

"You don't have to do this," Tara spoke up. "William, Spike, whoever you are, just give us a chance to fix this. To help you."

"I don't need any help," he retorted. "All I need is your absence."

He held up a hand and suddenly the assembled teens and Giles found themselves flying out the room landing in a heap just outside the door. Giles scrambled to his feet in time to see the double doors slam sht. Before he could reach them a solid wall formed over them effectively sealing him out of the room. He could still hear the rumble of the Hellmouth even from where they stood now. His son was alone with one seriously whacked out ghost and the Hellmouth… that he opened. Giles pushed frantically against the wall as if he could reach through to the doors inside but it was useless. He felt a cold hand settle on top of his and looked up to see Faith shaking her head.

"You're not getting in there. He doesn't want you in there," she trailed off, looking thoughtfully around the room they were standing in. "Not yet, anyway."

"How do you know?"

"He's the house remember?" she smiled sadly. "I'm bound to it and consequently to him. So I'm aware of what he wants, what he's thinking about."

Tara stepped forward, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "How much of him is William?"

"Too much. We've got to stop him while we still have time," Faith said, decisively. Her eyes landed on the bag in Wesley's hand. "Whatever you've got in there, you need to use it. If it was enough to make Elizabeth notice, then it means she's nervous about it. And even if it's not the answer, it might buy us some time at any rate."

All of the teens turned to Giles as if looking for further instruction. The man nodded slowly. "You heard her. Wesley, Willow you two get on that spell. Take Cordelia, Fred and Angel with you."

"Got it," Willow said, smiling brightly. "Don't worry Giles. We will save him. Even if he doesn't want it." After that the group disappeared into another room so that they could perform the spell. Giles knew that they had to do the spell and for that needed more concentration and quiet but he couldn't help be apprehensive at leaving them alone.

"You need to try to find a way back into that room," Faith said, breaking through his thoughts. "I'll take the others. After all, Liam is my little brother." he nodded in gratitude and watched as she spun on her heels and disappeared.

Giles then looked to Tara, Xander and Buffy who remained with him. If they had any chance of getting through to Spike it lay on the four people who stood in that room. If they couldn't get through to him then no one could and Sunnydale and most likely the world would be doomed.

Tara picked up on her uncle's train of thought and smiled grimly. "We are the only thing that stands between the world and the mouth of hell."

"Does anyone else think the world is so screwed?" Buffy chimed in.

* * *

Elizabeth's eyes darted around the room somewhat nervously. William was the pillar of calm in the center of the room with the hellmouth opening around him. His eyes flickered up to meet hers and he arched an eyebrow. "Problem, sister?"

"They know something," she muttered, chewing on her bottom lip. "I don't trust them."

William rolled his eyes. "Well they're not exactly here for tea and cookies, you stupid twit. They're here to stop this. If you're so damn worried about it, stop them. Otherwise leave me alone. I need to concentrate and your constant fretting is starting to piss me off."

His sister opened her mouth to reply but quickly realized the futility behind it. He closed his eyes once again tuning out the world around him, focusing only on the Hellmouth. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, and summoned something to deal with the meddlesome teens. She had a feeling they wouldn't be going down without a fight, but they would indeed be going down. It was time they met up with some old friends.

* * *

"So how long does this magical voodoo stuff take to work?" Cordelia asked, toying with a candle absently. Angel plucked it from her hands, placing it where it belonged with a patient smile. His girlfriend rolled her eyes looking to Faith. Her old friend was staring off into space with a worried frown on her face. She started to say something but instead chose to focus on Willow, Wesley and Fred who were seated on the floor with the candles surrounding them. A circle had been drawn around the area they were sitting in with chalk. After a brief bought of bickering it was decided that Wesley would be the one to actually perform the spell. He claimed it was because his Latin was better. Willow claimed it was so he would shut up. Cordelia was more inclined to go along with Willow's version of events.

"This spell," Faith started, snapping out of her light trance. "What exactly is it supposed to do?"

"Break the connection between Spike and the house. It will give us time to figure out what to do with the Crawford's and apparently now the Hellmouth. If Spike isn't attached to it, there might be another way to close it that doesn't involve killing him."

Faith nodded her head and closed her eyes again. Sensing that her services were no longer needed, Cordelia directed her attention to the spell that was finally about to start. She wrapped her arm around Angel and smiled as he pulled her into an embrace. They had always been close friends, but this new level of intimacy was one that she had secretly longed for.

"It's about time," Faith said, not bothering to open her eyes. "Seriously, Liam, you disappoint me." Her brother blushed and she cracked an eye open finally.

"No one calls me that anymore, you know. It's just Angel now."

"Not in my lifetime, Liam," Faith stressed. Cordelia smirked at the banter and wisely chose to step away giving them time alone. Angel approached his sister and reached a hand towards her shoulder. "You can touch me, little brother. I won't fall apart."

He smiled tremulously. "You don't know how much I missed you."

"I do. I missed you too." She shook her head. "It seems stupid now, you know? All we wanted to do was prove to that annoying jerk, Harmony, that we were someone important. And now look. We're dead."

Angel squeezed her shoulder not knowing what else to say. How do you comfort someone who spent the last two years of their life trapped in a house? A house that was currently trapping them as well. Life really had come full circle.

"You're going to get out of here," Faith promised. "I don't think mom and dad could handle loosing another child. And I love you, little bro, but I don't think I could stand eternity in here with you and them."

He cast a glance over his shoulder to see Fred swatting Cordelia away from the circle. The cheerleader looked slightly put out before plopping to the ground next to the former Texan. He smiled at her fondly before looking to Wesley and Willow. The two were chanting quietly. Faith hissed slightly and his attention was once again solely on his sister.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered. "It's just the spell. It affects everything in the house. That includes me."

Angel chewed on his lip nervously. "Should we stop?"

"No," she paused. Her eyes darted around the room and finally landed on him. "I'll be fine." A slight smile passed on her lips. "I'll be fine."

He wanted to ask her what she was talking about but never had the chance a pair of hands grabbed him from behind. "Angel!" Faith yelled, distracting the chanting teens. She turned to them sharply. "Don't stop!"

Wesley and Willow hesitated only a moment longer before continuing. Cordelia was on her feet and by Faith's side searching for some sign of Angel. Fred was behind her less than a second later. Suddenly she grunted and fell into an unsuspecting Cordelia's arms. The cheerleader's eyes widened as she stared in horror at Fred's attacker.

"Darla?"

* * *

"So what exactly are we supposed to say to him once we find him anyway? He's clearly not Will anymore," Tara paused. "Or rather he is Will, just not our Will. He's the bad Will."

"For the purpose of my head not hurting anymore than it already does, let's just call him Spike," Xander said.

"Right, well, he's not Spike anymore. So what do we say?"

"I'm all in favor of just knocking him and dragging him out of here," Buffy offered up. "And then torching the place."

"I could definitely stand to see this place burnt to the ground."

Giles listened to their mindless conversation half heartedly. Truth be told, he was wondering the same thing Tara was. His son was very clearly not his child anymore. He had failed to protect his child when he needed it the most. True, his son was a stubborn bastard, but he knew that and had failed to make accommodations for that as he always did. He underestimated the connection between the house and his son. And that mistake may very well cost him not only his child but the entire world.

"Don't blame yourself, Uncle G. This was going to happen whether we wanted it to or not," Tara said, walking beside him. "Now we have to hope that Wes and the others can finish that spell and break the house's power so that we have a chance at getting through to him."

"Yeah, it should be easy," Buffy added, brightly.

"Except for the part were the hellmouth is opened."

"Shut up, Xander!"

"Yes, do shut up, Xander."

The group jumped at the sudden voice. They turned around to see the wall that was behind them disappear. Spike was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smirk playing across his lips. Glowing eyes were locked on them.

"Well it looks like you found me," he grinned. "Now what?"

* * *

"Darla? Can I say that you're not looking so good, hon?"

That was of course an understatement. Her skin was practically translucent and her normally vibrant eyes were dead and lifeless as she swung the piece of table leg she had attacked Fred with. Cordelia managed to shift the Texan to the ground near a concerned, but still chanting Wesley.

"Faith, what do we do? Is she dead?"

"Not yet," Faith replied, ducking a near blow to the head. "She's still alive but not for much longer. Elizabeth feeds off the energy of those that come into the house. She's been feeding off of Darla and Riley. But she hasn't taken much from them because the house is coming alive."

"Damn, so she's alive, huh?" Cordelia said, with a small frown. With alarming speed she moved forward, taking Darla's weapon and bashed the girl over the head in the process. "That was for sleeping with my boyfriend."

Faith gave her an amused look before looking in the direction Angel had been dragged down with a frown marring her features. "So if we were just fighting Darla, then it must have been Riley who got Angel."

"I swear if that big dumb zombie has even hurt a single hair on Angel's head," Cordelia muttered, clutching the table leg tighter. The two girls crept down the hall and were just in time to hear a loud thudding noise that was unmistakably the sound of someone hitting the floor. "Angel!"

"What?" the teen in question replied as the two girls rounded the corner. They found him smirking in satisfaction over an unconscious Riley. "I don't think he took the news that we're dating too well."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "You're so lame."

"Come on, we need to get back to the others. That circle serves another purpose besides ambience," Faith said, interrupting what was sure to be another round of banter between the love-struck pair. Angel looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's for protection. Elizabeth is sure to know what we're up to by now and she's going to send company after us."

"Sis, you worry too much," Angel grinned. "We'll get back to the others and everything will be fine."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. He had always been of the belief that sometimes you could cause things to happen just by speaking about it. And it would be many years before he convinced himself that he didn't cause what happened next. One minute he was standing in front of his sister and girlfriend smiling widely and the next he was being tossed against the wall as Faith took a blow to the stomach that was intended for him.

"Faith!" he cried as his sister slowly fell to the floor. Cordelia stepped forward still wielding her weapon of choice. She cracked Riley over the head causing him to drop the fireplace poker none of them had seen him picking up. Angel caught Faith gently in his arms. "Oh no, no, no, Faith. Oh no, I'm so sorry. Faith."

"Liam," she smiled softly. "This is not your fault…. Believe me. It's Elizabeth's."

"But… but…"

"No, now… go… have to get back to the circle…. Don't worry…. About me… was dead anyway."

"No," he whispered, clutching her closer. "Faith, please don't leave me again."

Faith closed her eyes and offered up another smile. She opened her eyes through much effort and put a gentle hand on his face. "Not leaving… just going to rest… get back to the circle. Please, Angel."

"Its Liam to you," he corrected. With a final smile, Faith closed her eyes for a final time and her body went limp. Angel barely had time to register that fact as the weight in his arms disappeared. "What…"

"She's gone?" Cordelia said, blinking her own eyes that were wet with tears. She glanced down at the unconscious Riley. "She's right though. We need to get back to the circle, before Elizabeth sends anything else after us."

Angel didn't appear to hear her at first but finally he rose from his crouched position to stand beside him. She didn't say anything as she led him back down the hall to the others. She simply held onto his hands tightly. As they finally approached the circle, Wesley and Willow completed the spell. There was a hum in the air and then silence.

Willow's eyes widened as she saw Angel's bloodstained shirt. "What happened to you? Are you hurt? Where's Faith?"

Angel lowered his gaze to the floor and sighed. Cordelia tightened her hold on his hand and rested her head against his shoulder. "She's gone. Riley attacked Angel with a fireplace poker and Faith stepped in for him. She's gone."

The redhead gasped quietly but said nothing more. She glanced down at Wesley. He was holding onto Fred who was slowly starting to regain consciousness. She smiled briefly in their direction before returning her attention to Angel and Cordelia.

"We finished the spell. The connection between the house and Spike should be broken. Hopefully that means the others can get through to our Spike.

"I still say leaving the fate of the world in the hands of Xander Harris is not a wise idea," Cordelia mumbled, earning a small snort of amusement from Angel. Maybe he would be okay after all.

* * *

Giles swallowed heavily and tried very hard not to look down at the cracked ground that lay at his child's feet. He failed miserably. Even from where he stood from across the room he could make out images, things that would live in his nightmares for years to come. He could feel Tara shivering beside him but couldn't think of a single thing to say to comfort her.

"Spike, you can stop this," Xander yelled over the roar of the hellmouth. "We can find another way to close it. But you just have to trust us."

"I'm sorry but that's just not in the plan," he shrugged. "Now I know you didn't think you would come in here and talk me down like this was a bloody afterschool special… did you?"

"It was a thought," Buffy mumbled. "It's a little hard coming up with an effective plan when you're worried about the highly irrational blond that seems really fond of running off and putting himself in danger."

Spike shook his head. "Look around you. Does it look like I'm in danger?"

"Do you not see the giant mouth to hell that you're currently standing in front of?" Tara pointed out, snidely. "I'm thinking that constitutes as dangerous."

"Not when you're the one in control," Spike returned with an easy going smirk.

"Enough," Elizabeth interjected, reminding everyone that she was still in the room. "You have to know that it's hopeless. You're not going to win. Spike has already accepted his destiny." She paused, locking eyes with Giles. "His family. He's made the choice to open the hellmouth and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. I win, you…." she trailed off with her eyes going wide as she caught sight of her reflection in the hall mirror.

"I believe the word you're looking for is lose," Xander pointed out, earning an elbow in the side from Tara. He started to complain when he noticed just what made Elizabeth lose her train of thought. Brown spots started to appear on her skin. Her blonde locks were lightening to a dull grey color. Wrinkles creased her face. Elizabeth Crawford was rapidly aging in front of their eyes. The spell had worked.

"Lizzie, I hate to break it to you but your age is showing," Buffy quipped with a cruel smirk.

"No! What have you done? What have you done?"

"It's the spell," Tara said, smiling as well. "It broke the connection between Spike and the house. This, of course, includes you. The house is powerless now. And that means it's time to see who you really are underneath it all."

Elizabeth cast a horror filled look towards Spike. The teen was standing with his head slightly bowed. With baited breath they watched as he slowly lifted his eyes and revealed glowing white eyes. Elizabeth let out a joyful laugh that came out as more of a cackle.

"You cannot break his connection to the house. He is the house!" she shrieked gleefully. "He's already opened the hellmouth. It doesn't matter what you do now. Its over. I can always get a new body later on." She sized Buffy up critically. "Maybe I'll try you on for size."

They shuddered in unison. Xander leaned into Tara. "I told you she was so into her brother. You so owe me."

While she continued to taunt the three heartbroken teenagers, Giles took advantage of her distraction to approach his son. He half expected to be flung across the room as he had been earlier, so he was pleasantly surprised when Spike stepped closer to meet him halfway.

"William, I know you're still in there," he started, before shaking his head. "You have to fight this, Will. This isn't you. This isn't what you wanted."

"This is exactly what I wanted," Spike corrected him. He put a hand on the older man's shoulder and pulled him closer. He then leaned in so that his lips were right beside his father's ear. "You're not to worry. We'll always make it through."

Giles' eyes widened at the familiar words. He tuned his head to the side and was shocked to see the blue eyes he so loved. Spike smiled briefly before the white covered them once again. With a wave of his hand, Giles was sent flying across the room and into the other three. They landed in a tangled heap of limbs.

"You see," Elizabeth said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just accept defeat. He is ours. He's where he belongs." Spike went to stand beside her. She smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He's home."

"Spike," Buffy whispered. He looked into her eyes and nodded.

"She's right," he finally said. "Well at least about one thing. This is where I belong." He closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them they were the normal blue they associated with Spike. "But this sure as hell ain't home, ducks."

"Huh?" Elizabeth gasped. "What…."

"So eloquent. Maybe you should have spent a little less time with the black arts, dear sister," he sneered. "Like I said earlier this evening, I want this over. And now…." He smiled, pulling her even closer. "It is."

Before anyone could react, much less process what he meant, Spike backed up so that he was on the edge of the hellmouth. He mouthed something to his family before fell backwards into the crater, dragging a kicking and screaming Elizabeth with him.

"No!"

Giles raced over to the hole hoping to grab onto his son but he was too late. He could only watch in mute horror as Spike disappeared into the fiery abyss with a pleased smirk on his face. The hellmouth roared and the ground stopped shaking. Rocky ground slowly formed over the hole blocking any chance Giles had to save Spike. All around them the house started to revert back to its original state of decay, but Giles couldn't see any of it. All he saw was the rocky barrier keeping him from his son. All he could see was the closed hellmouth and his massive failure.

"Uncle Giles…."

He heard Tara's hesitant call but he couldn't bring himself to answer it. It wasn't until he felt the feather light hand on his face that he realized what was going on. He looked up quickly to find himself drowning in a pair of warm brown eyes. He was dimly aware of the other teens returning but nothing was going to distract him away from the woman in front of him.

"Rebecca."

She smiled warmly and cocked her head to the side. "Hello, Rupert."

* * *

So what did you all think? Not necessarily a cliffhanger this time. Well sort of not a cliffhanger. Yeah, I'm going to get started on that last chapter. Hope you enjoyed. 


	12. So Much For My Happy Ending

**Summary:** Very AU. Everyone is human. Every town has a house with a story, with a past. Sunnydale was no different. But Crawford Manor was much more than just a house. It's alive and events that were set in motion over a decade ago are finally come to ahead. And it's all because of one platinum blonde bad boy, William Giles.

**Spoilers:** None.

**Pairings:** Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara, Wes/Fred, Cordelia/Riley with hints of past Darla/Angel, and future Buffy/Spike. It will be a Spuffy story eventually, just fair warning to all those that aren't Spuffy fans.

**Author's Notes:** Wow, it's a Turkey Day miracle. I, , have finally finished a story I should have been done with a year ago. Huzzah! If there is anyone out there that is even still remotely interested in this story, I hope this ending does it justice. And if there is anyone that just happened to stumble across this because they thought it was the next chapter of Different World, sorry but fear not, I'm dusting that one off too. I'm trying not to go another two years with that one. But enough about that enjoy this, the very last chapter of Cursed!

* * *

So Much For My Happy Ending...

"Hello, Rupert."

He was looking into the eyes and face of a dead woman. A woman that had left him too long ago to raise a child that looked like her more and more everyday. It had been ten years since he last saw that smile and she still looked the same.

"Well, aren't you going to say something?"

"How?"

Rebecca cocked her head to the side and smiled wider. "You. Well, you and the children, of course. You broke the connection between the Crawford's and this house. It set the souls that were trapped here free. You did good."

"Good?" Giles snapped, standing up fully. "You call letting our son jump to his death a good thing? I let him die, Rebecca. William is gone."

Her smile melted into a small frown and she stood up as well. "Oh, Rupert, you can't see the good you've done because you're too busy mourning something you had no control over. I know you want to think otherwise but there was no other way to end this. William needed to die in order for the Hellmouth to be closed. He was the last of the Crawford's and there was no other way. I am truly sorry for that."

"You're telling me that I should just accept this? That I should accept that he's gone. He was all I had left. First you, and now him. I have nothing left."

"You will always have me, Rupert," Rebecca corrected him gently. "I live on in your heart. And as for our son, well, he is exactly where he needs to be right now. I want you to accept that as a fact. He is where he can be happy and at peace."

Giles opened his mouth to say something but the words died on his lips. "He's happy?"

"He's exactly where he belongs," she repeated. "Go home, Rupert. You're tired and you need your rest." She smiled again and he felt his heart beat faster. "I will always love you. And one day, you, I and William will be a family again. But for now I want you to live. Not just for William but for yourself. Why not give that computer teacher a call?"

Behind him, he heard Tara and Wesley snickering and he couldn't help the small smile that formed on his lips as well. Leave it to Rebecca to completely ruin what should be a tragic moment. Spike had definitely inherited that trait from his mother. He looked back to his wife to notice her eyes were pinned on something just beyond him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Buffy looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"So this is Buffy," Rebecca said, walking over to her. She cocked her head to the side and smiled wider. "Yes, I can definitely see what all the fuss was about now." She nodded her head as if she were stating a common fact. Her eyes drifted over to her second favorite blonde. "My, Tara, you've grown up to be quite the looker."

Tara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and ducked her head so that her aunt wouldn't see the red staining her cheeks or the tears glistening in her eyes. It was for nothing as she felt a ghosted touch on her cheek. "You helped him more than you'll ever know, sweetheart. You saved him when it counted the most."

The young witch arched an eyebrow before a single moment passed through her mind. She remembered it was less than two years ago, right before he had come to Sunnydale. She had had a horrible feeling in her stomach the whole day, like something was terribly wrong. So acting on her gut instincts, she called her younger cousin. He had sounded weird, strained almost, and kept trying to push her off the phone. But she wouldn't let him go. After awhile he started to sound like himself again and the feeling had faded away. She hadn't given the situation much more thought after that but now as she stood in front of her aunt she started to understand the truth about that day.

"It wasn't his time," Rebecca murmured. "He was so lost but you pulled him back." She smiled at her again causing a pang of longing for the one that resembled that smile. "You didn't fail him either, my heart. You did good." She brushed her lips against her niece's forehead before stepping away from her.

"I have to go now," she said, finally after looking them all over. "It's finally time for me to leave this place. But before I go, I do have one message to pass onto you, Liam." Angel stood up straight, looking more than a little confused. "From your sister, Faith. She wants you to know that she loves you. And that she will see you again."

He smiled a little and nodded his head. "I know she will."

Rebecca smirked slightly. She closed her eyes as if listening to something and when she finally opened her eyes again, they could feel the peace radiating from the brown orbs. It was a peace that was felt throughout the entire house. Though it had returned to its original state of decay, it was obvious that the souls of all those trapped there had been set free. They were at peace. And that was all thanks to Spike. It was a little hard to be depressed when faced with that thought. He sacrificed himself for what he knew was the right thing.

"Go home, Rupert," Rebecca repeated her earlier words. "That is where you belong." She paused once more. "By the way, he was right, you know? You did do a really good job. I'm proud of him. I even like the name, I think it builds character."

Giles didn't bother trying to hold back the laugh this time. Satisfied with this result, his wife graced him with a final smile before disappearing in a column of light. Giles watched her go with peace in his heart. At least this time he knew without a doubt that she would be going to a better place. She would be at peace now after so long. It was easier to part with her the second time. It was the other parting that he would have to learn how to deal with. But for now, she was right. He needed to go home. He turned to look at the group of teens his son called friends.

Wesley was quiet as usual with his arms wrapped tightly around a very groggy Fred. Cordelia and Angel were holding onto one another so tightly, it was difficult to tell where one of them began and the other ended. Willow had her hand on Tara's shoulder, silently offering comfort to the Wiccan who was lost in her own world. Buffy was chewing on her lip wondering just how to feel. They were all feeling the loss heavily. They were all grieving. But the one that caught him the most off guard was Xander. Although he wasn't sure why it did catch him off guard. He knew that the boy and his son were close. They were practically brothers.

He gently put an arm around the teen's shoulder, hiding his amusement at the look of shock plastered across Xander's face and sighed. "Let's go home."

* * *

Giles numbly listened as Wesley explained that he would be back later after dropping Fred off at home. He glanced at Xander and Tara who were sitting in the living room staring off into space. He wanted to say something to them, anything, but there was nothing he could say. He felt it too. It felt wrong to be here. The atmosphere hadn't changed. It was as if the house hadn't registered that Spike was gone. Everything felt the same when it never would be again. Giles stood abruptly, drawing attention from the two teens.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep. I suggest you two try as well."

"We'll wait for Wes," Tara replied, quietly. She drew her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. "Get some sleep, Uncle Giles." Xander remained eerily quiet.

"Good night."

With that said, he walked out the room and quickly up the stairs where he was faced with a new problem. To get to his room at the end of the hall, he would have to face the last thing in the world he wanted to be confronted with at the moment. He would have to face Spike's room. And suddenly he got why neither of the two teenagers downstairs were making a move towards the bedrooms. If they passed the room, it would be empty and just further serve the point that Spike was gone and he wasn't coming back.

He's where he belongs, Giles thought, somewhat mockingly. He belongs with me. But clearly he doesn't because he's not here. Giles glowered at the betraying thought before sighing deeply. He was losing it. His son had been gone less than two hours and he was already going insane. Just as he was contemplating giving up all pretenses of sleeping in a bed and returning downstairs, he noticed that the door to Spike's room was slightly ajar.

Xander was the last one to leave the room and he had been in a hurry. He wouldn't have taken the time to close the door. So that meant that for some reason, someone had gone up to the room after that and closed the door. He couldn't recall anyone doing that and then he was struck with a horrible (not to mention slightly irrational) thought. What if someone had broken into the house? What if someone had taken something from his son's room?

Faced with these thoughts, Giles entered the room slowly. He found that the light was off as well. Now he knew that someone had been in there. When he left, the light on the desk had been on. He flipped the switch for the overheard lamp on, flooding the room with light. It took him a moment to adjust his eyes. And even longer than that to register the soft grunt that came from somewhere the in the room.

"Turn the bloody light off!" a voice mumbled sleepily.

Giles' blood ran cold as his eyes landed on the bed. More appropriately on the balled up figure that rested on the bed. On shaky legs, Giles shuffled over to get a good glance at the blanket covered lump. He drew the covers back slight to reveal mussed up blonde hair sticking up at crazy angles. Giles felt his knees get weak and he sat on the edge of the bed to keep from falling completely.

"Will?"

The sleeping teen turned slightly in his direction, cracking his eyes open blearily. It was a pair of tired blue orbs that peered up at Giles, not really seeing him. "Just five more minutes, dad. You work at the school I can afford to be late."

Giles barked out a laugh at the totally Spike statement. This really was his little boy. He brushed a hand over his son's face and smiled as the teen sank deeper into his much needed sleep. He hadn't been sleeping well before this whole ordeal and it was obvious that he needed this rest. And that's why Giles decided to hold off on the questions. He would let his son sleep for now. Because he had tomorrow and all the rest of their lives to ask all the questions in the world. With a significantly lightened heart, Giles made his way downstairs to deliver the good news, pausing only to turn off the light on his way out the door.

* * *

Light, he decided, was the enemy. It was currently streaming in through his window and directly into his eyes. He attempted to turn over onto the side of the bed that would block the annoying streams of light but he found there was something already occupying that spot. Something female, blonde and breathing. What the hell did I do last night?

He opened his eyes and found that what he had originally thought of as a pillow was, in all actuality, Tara. The Wiccan was sleeping on her side facing him almost as if she had fallen asleep that watching him. At some point, he had rolled over so that his head was resting against her shoulder. Smiling slightly, he didn't bother to question why she was in his bed. He merely closed his eyes and tried to ignore the light that had driven him from sleep in the first place.

That is until the sound of snoring dragged him away from his light doze. He arched an eyebrow at the sound, knowing for a fact that it wasn't coming from Tara. Without really moving, he craned his neck to see that the source for the snoring was none other than his beloved best friend, Xander. The whelp was sitting against the bed with his head resting on the mattress. Before he could even begin to think about why Xander was in his bedroom sleeping, he noticed that Wesley was also there, propped up in a chair, also dead to the world.

"What the hell is going on?" Spike muttered to himself. He slowly extricated himself from Tara and attempted to sit up. That's when his vision dimmed somewhat as pain made itself known in almost every inch of his body. And with the pain, came the memories of the previous night. He remembered going to the Crawford house. He remembered accepting that he was William Crawford. And then he remembered jumping into the Hellmouth. He was falling and as he fell there were things... feelings, beings that were reaching out to him to keep him with them forever. He shivered at the thoughts.

"Spike?" a quiet voice managed to cut through his impending panic attack. "You're awake." Spike's eyes landed on Xander and he managed a weak smile. "I'd ask how you're feeling but the fact that your face is kinda green answered that question."

"Yeah," Spike said, releasing a breath. He scooted closer to the edge of the mattress so that his head was rested beside Xander's. "So..."

"So...." They paused before laughing quietly. "Who knew that you jumping into the mouth of hell would make things awkward?"

"Sorry about that, you know? It's just that...."

"It was the only way," Xander nodded. "I know. I get that. I'm just glad that you're not dead. Because that would have really sucked."

"Understatement," Tara chimed in. The two boys peered over at the blonde to see her sitting up slightly in bed. "You being dead would have done more than just really sucked. Glad you're okay, brat."

"I'm alive," he corrected. "Okay is open for interpretation. Every single bone in my body hurts."

"Let me go get your dad," Xander offered. "He'll probably want to know you're awake."

"He already knows," Wesley reported, yawning as he pointed to the doorframe Giles was casually leaning against. "See and I didn't tell him."

"You're still not off the hook for ratting us out in the first place," Tara chided with a slight smirk.

"Well I don't think it's fair that I'm getting hounded for that when Spike broke Rule Number One."

Spike's already pale face went dramatically white at the off hand comment. Wesley saw this and immediately started rambling about with an apology. Tara slipped an arm around her cousin while simultaneously bopping Wesley over the head.

"That broken rule is null and void as of this morning," Tara declared simply. "However your violation is not."

"Yeah," Spike retorted, clearly over whatever emotional damage Wesley's comment had caused. "You're still a snitch."

"I am not a snitch!"

"Technically, you are," Xander chimed in, earning twin looks of approval and a dark glare from Wesley.

Giles rolled his eyes at the inane conversation although internally he was happy to hear their random comments. It meant that things were somewhat back to normal. He watched amused as his son continued to bicker with his friends and cousin. A small smile played across his lips as Rebecca's words came back to him. Spike was where he belonged. Not with the Crawford's but here with his father, cousin, friends and...

The doorbell ringing downstairs cut through the small argument that had now somehow shifted to what was Spike's natural hair color. Giles' brow furrowed as he tried to think of who it would be. Everything about last night was becoming a distant blur now that his son was safe and somewhat sound. But he did remember the other teens mentioning that they would be stopping by this afternoon. And that's when it hit him.

"I never told them about Spike," Giles muttered, loud enough for the assembled teens to hear. He glanced up just in time to see a familiar smirk spreading across his son's face. The pain he had been complaining about minutes before seemed to vanish as he sprung out of bed and raced downstairs eager to apparently scare the crap out of his mourning friends and girlfriend.

"Looks like even death can't change him," Tara said, lying back on the bed. She counted down in her head, ending just as a scream that sounded oddly like Angel rang out. "That boy will never change."

"And I hope he never does," Giles smiled as he headed downstairs to join his son.

* * *

Angel shifted nervously on the doorstep to Giles' home. It seemed almost surreal that less than twelve hours ago they were all here trying to find a way to save Spike. And now here they were trying to find a way to move on without him. Heaviness settled in his chest. This was all his fault. He was the one who forced Spike into this mess. The blonde had been trying to ignore it all but Angel and his need to find answers for Faith pushed him back in. And what had it gotten them? Nowhere. Faith was still gone and now Spike was....

Standing at the front door with that damn loveable smirk plastered across his very much alive face. The five teenagers standing opposite from him could only blink in surprise at the boy who should have been dead before Angel let out a very undignified (not to mention unmanly) scream.

"Spike?!" Cordelia gasped, trying desperately to ignore Angel's moment of uncool (although filing it in her mental cabinet of Angel's most embarrassing moments).

"But we saw you," Buffy protested. His smirk melted into a look of softness as he held a hand out to her. She latched onto it, reveling in the warmth. Her eyes met his and she knew it was really him. Somehow or another, Spike had survived jumping into the mouth of hell and he was really here. She narrowed her eyes as she slapped him across the face.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"That was for dying!" she hissed, before pulling him into a deep kiss. "And that was for coming back." With that said, she patted him on the chest before sauntering into the house. Spike's jaw dropped slightly as he watched her go.

"Damn crazy bint," he muttered. He glanced back at the now four shocked teens. "Come on you lot are making me nervous here. It's really me. I swear. I'm all Spike."

Fred and Willow didn't bother saying anything more. They just hugged him tightly before heading into the house as well. He didn't need to stick his head in the house to hear the two chewing out their respective partners for not informing them of Spike's return from the dead. He smirked and turned back to the pair still lingering on the doorway.

"Well, princess, nothing to say?" Cordelia merely shook her head and gave him a slight peck on the cheek. He cocked his head looking at Angel.

"You coming in or have you decided to take up a job as a really bad lawn gnome?"

Angel smiled faintly and shrugged. "It's my fault."

"No, its not," Spike replied, seriously. "None of this was your fault, no matter what you think. I was meant to do this and I would have done it one day or another. If it wasn't for you all, I probably would have opened the hellmouth and killed everyone. It was you and the others that kept me grounded."

Angel's smile grew a bit more genuine. "It would have sucked if you were really dead, you know?"

Spike smirked and rolled his eyes slightly. "Well yeah, I know. I'm glad you finally realize, silly poof."

"How long until you stop calling me that?"

"Ask me again after your girly screams stops echoing in my head."

"Jerk," Angel muttered under his breath, following the blonde into the house at last. As he closed the door behind them he noticed Tara was sitting at the foot of the stairs waiting for them. The two cousins stared at each other silently for a few moments. Just as Angel was beginning to wonder what they were up to, Spike shrugged.

Apparently this was the reaction Tara was waiting for as she rose to stand beside him. Side by side they walked into the living room with a confused, yet amused Angel trailing after them.

"So now that you've had your fun," Giles smiled somewhat once Spike had taken his place beside Xander. "You want to explain what happened last night?"

"What happened?" Spike repeated blankly. "Well, I don't really remember too much. It's all kind of a blur."

"A blur?" came the surprised roar from all assembled save for one.

"A blur like your first night in Crawford?" a certain redhead asked, eyebrow arched gracefully. The blank look faded as his face twisted into one of amusement almost immediately.

"Will you stop playing around?" Tara hissed. "This is serious. And despite what I told Wesley, you're not completely off the hook for breaking Rule #1."

Spike huffed but didn't bother refuting that claim. "Fine, fine, I guess you lot want to know how I'm still alive, huh? Well, it's because of my mother."

"Your mother? Rebecca?" Giles' brow furrowed. Whatever answer he was expecting it definitely wasn't that one. "What does your mother have to do with this?"

"Everything. She came to me last night and told me that in order to distance myself from the Crawford's I had to accept them. The only way to end the curse once and for all would be for William Crawford to die in the house. And for that...."

"You had to become William Crawford," Wesley finished. "But that still doesn't explain how you're alive."

"I told you," Spike replied, semi-patiently. "My mom. As I jumped into the Hellmouth, she grabbed me. She saved me before I fell with Elizabeth and took me back home... I guess."

"You guess?"

"All I can really remember is seeing you lot, and then I was falling..." he trailed off, remembering the feeling of falling. The heat rising from the pit he was plummeting to. The hands that were reaching towards him. The fear, the heat, the pain, the isolation....

"Will?" Xander's voice reached him again. He met his best friend's steady gaze and had to nod. Somehow or another, Xander always understood hm. For better or for worse Xander would always be there. "So what happened after you fell? I mean got pulled out of the pit."

"The next thing I know, I felt safe and warm, like I was... home."

Giles rubbed his glasses on his shirt, discreetly wiping away any signs of tears.

"I'm still confused. If you became William Crawford how come you were still able to go through with the plan you and Aunt Rebecca came up with?"

Spike chewed on his lips thoughtfully. "It didn't make much sense to me either when mom suggested it. I just knew to trust her. And when I did surrender control to William, I understood. William wanted it to end too. He wanted to destroy the curse and the house."

The center of attention could only smirk at the confusion written across the faces of his friends and family. "William was the sent away Crawford, correct? Well when he heard from his long lost sister he was immediately down for the plan. Until he started getting visions of what hell on earth would look like. Naturally he had second thoughts."

"William was trying to end it too?" Buffy repeated in slight disbelief. "Because from where we standing it didn't look that way."

"It's called acting, love. You should look into it." Spike ducked as a pillow went sailing his way. He chuckled and looked around the room. Despite everything that had occurred over the past few days he wouldn't change a thing. He had the woman he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He had his best mate. He had his beloved cousin and father. He had his friends. Hell, he even had Cordelia and Angel. The only thing missing was....

"So by the way, poof, where's Faith?"

The newfound relief at seeing Spike alive and well dimmed as they remembered Angel's fallen sister. It also served as a reminder of just how much they almost lost. Faith had been the initial reason for Angel's wanting to go into the house and in the end, he had lost her and almost Spike. He cleared his throat realizing that Spike was waiting for an answer.

"She didn't make it. Riley attacked us and she took the hit that was meant for me."

Spike blinked before his mouth twisted into a thoughtful frown. "Well, I know that. And by the way sorry about that. I didn't know Elizabeth was going to send the zombie duo after you. But don't worry. I took care of them too."

"Are they....?" Cordelia trailed, not entirely sure what she wanted for her ex-boyfriend and her... Darla.

Spike rolled his eyes. "They're fine. Well as fine as those two can be. They won't remember a thing. The only thing they know is that they went into the house, got caught by Cordelia, and then everything else is a blank. I figured it would be better that way." He turned his attention back to Angel. "So now that we're clear on the morons, where is Faith?"

"She's dead, Spike," Angel ground out, a little annoyed that Spike was still pressing such a sensitive issue. "You don't live through something like that."

"But," Spike protested before seemingly thinking of something. He closed his eyes in thought, ignoring the tension that ran through the room at the simple gesture. "Of course, that makes more sense. Right."

The assembled group exchanged wary glances. "Uh, Spike, who are you talking to?"

"Answer the phone," was the only reply they received. He opened his eyes once more to look pointedly at Angel. "Answer the phone, poof."

"But it's not..." Ring. Ring. "Ringing. Right." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket frowning at the unknown number. "Hello?" his eyes widened somewhat. "Dad, I can totally explain why I'm not at school right now.... Wait, you didn't know I wasn't at school. Ignore that then. Where are you?"

The assembled group waited patiently as Angel listened to his father. Whatever the elder O'Connor had to say was causing a myriad of emotions to flit across the quarterback's face. Finally he flipped his phone shut and looked at a far too enlightened Spike.

"What did your dad want?" Cordelia asked, quietly as if she were afraid to shake him from his stupor. "Angel?"

He sat forward, his gaze still locked on Spike. "My dad called to tell me that he and mom got a call last night. That's why they weren't home when I got there. There was a Jane Doe brought to a hospital in LA. They said she fit Faith's description, so they went. It was her. It was Faith."

"You're leaving out the best part, poof," Spike chided him gently.

Angel's lips twitched before a brilliant smile spread across them. "She was alive. Faith is alive. Dad said that they're going to transfer her to a hospital in Sunnydale until she's deemed ready to go home. Apparently she was abducted by some cult and that's where she's been for the last few years."

"A cult? What's next? Kids on PCP? Just goes to show the depths that the residents of Sunnydale will take so they don't have to acknowledge that there are things that go bump in the night," Xander mused with a grin. And then a thought occurred to him. He turned to his best friend. "You knew that already, didn't you? That's why you were surprised that we thought Faith was dead."

"I didn't think about how difficult it would be to explain where she was if she suddenly went home with you. So I guess this way made more sense," Spike shrugged. He could feel the unspoken question in the gaze of everyone in the room. "I protected her. When you lot were casting the spell, I reached out somehow and shielded her from it. It wasn't hard since she was a part of the house, a part of me. I guess mom took care of the rest."

He shifted a little, highly aware of all the looks being thrown his way. "What? The way I figure it is we got the bloody happy ending you all kept harping on about. The poof has his sister. I'm not dead. I got the girl," at this Buffy rolled her eyes but didn't correct him. Inwardly he was beaming like an idiot. Outwardly, he shrugged again. "And the Hellmouth is forever sealed away. Everything is nice and neat."

"There is one thing that is bothering me though," Giles said, leaning forward. Spike rolled his eyes but inclined his head indicating that his father should speak. "What exactly is rule number one?"

Spike's eyes widened slightly before his gaze flickered first to Wesley and then to Tara. The older of them shrugged. "Rule number one is the most important rule. The other ones are easily forgiven but number one is the most important."

"And that is?"

"No dying," Spike replied simply, looking down at his socks.

And at that moment, Giles understood his son, niece and the boy who was as a good as his relative clearer than he had their entire lives. The silly rules were built to protect a group of kids who had lost all semblance of stability. It was created to protect their world and each other. He glanced at the three rule makers and couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, who wants lunch? My treat."

"Oh, I want Doublemeat Palace!" Fred blurted out, earning a dark glare from Buffy. "What?"

The teens all set into motion all declaring what they wanted. Spike took the opportunity to slide over to where his father was standing. He nudged him with his shoulder prompting Giles to wrap an arm around his shoulder. Sensing that father and son needed a moment, the others left the room to debate about their food options in the kitchen.

"So you're alright?" Giles asked, looking him over. "No lasting effects from William?"

"No," Spike smiled again. "You know he wasn't that bad in the end. William. He wanted to end it too, but he just never had the courage. He didn't have the strength. That's what I got from you, dad. It was your strength that let me do the right thing."

Giles coughed and looked down trying to hide the suspicious shininess in his eyes. "Yes, well, I'm glad you're alright. So you're back to being just a normal teenage boy again?"

"As normal as I was before," he replied with a smirk. Just then the raised voices from the kitchen reached his ears. He frowned and glared uselessly at the still opened door. That is until the door suddenly slammed shut startling the kitchen's occupants into silence. Spike's eyes widened and he turned to his father. "Ok, so maybe I'm a little bit more than what I was before."

Giles opened his mouth to say something more but decided it wasn't worth it at the moment. He had everything he wanted, no that he needed. His son was home. His son was healthy, happy and back to his smirking, sarcastic self. He'd get used to the added weirdness in time. He'd get used to having more than the Scoobies around as well. Because his son was home. And that was all that mattered.

Almost as if he sensed his father's shift in mood, Spike started shuffling towards the kitchen. They were half the way there when Giles spoke again.

"Oh, and son."

"Yeah?"

"You're grounded."

"Balls."

The End.


End file.
